Golden jackals (
Canis
aureus
) have been recorded in the
Slovenian Julian pre
-
Alps for more than 50
years. In recent years, however, a substantial increase in sightings of golden jackalshas been recorded in the
area around the town of Bovec. During the present study we gathered information through interviews wi
th local
hunters and other residents and conducted a basic questionnaire on their opinion about this expanding carnivore.
In addition, we performed monitoring of jackals with the use of acoustic playback method, photo
-
traps and
searching for footprints and
other signs of jackal presence. We also reviewed the database of the reported jackal
depredations on livestock at the Bovec Forest Service. In total, we conducted 31 interviews and gathered
information on 100 records
of jackal presence from 2009 to
2012.
The questionnaire showed a negative attitude
toward jackal among local hunters. Using acoustic methods, we were unable to confirm the presence of a
territorial jackal group, but we did detect jackals on
26 photographs made with photo
-
traps at one
location.
During the study, two jackals were killed by car and we collected tissue samples for potential future genetic
analysis. Official records of depredations showed high increase in assumed jackal attacks on sheep, but we could
not confirm if or how many of th
ese depredations were actually caused by jackals. Further
studies are needed to
understand the real extent of jackal predation on domestic and wild ungulates, as well as the origin and
development of this new jackal group(s) in the Julian pre
-
Alps.
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