Reindeer owners in northern Norway fear the golden jackal – news Troms and Finnmark

Representatives from the reindeer herding industry believe they have enough with eagles, wolverines, lynxes, wolves and bears and do not want the golden jackal to establish itself in Troms and Finnmark. The golden jackal usually weighs up to 13 kg, and is barely bigger than a common red fox, according to Wikipedia. It eats small rodents, birds and fish, but can also take lambs and kittens. The first observation of a golden jackal in Norway was made in Lakselv in Finnmark in 2019. The following year, a jackal was seen in Kåfjord in Troms. The Norwegian Nature Conservancy (SNO) believes that it is about two animals, after later observations were made at the same time in both places. – An observation should also have been made in Skjervøy, but this has not been confirmed, says senior advisor Thomas Johansen in SNO Troms to Nordlys. Leader of the Troms reindeer herders’ county association, Per Mathis Oskal, fears that the golden jackal may take the reindeer. Photo: Arbeiderpartiet – An unwanted species The predator could become a further threat to the reindeer herds, believes leader of the Troms reindeer herders’ county association, Per Mathis Oskal. – We fear that the jackal will gain a foothold, that it will become the fifth large predator in Troms and a new problem for reindeer husbandry, says Oskal, who believes the animals should be removed. – It is an unwanted species here in the north. It can also become a threat to the arctic fox, which you want to protect, Oskal believes. Could the arctic fox be threatened if another competitor arrives? The Norwegian Nature Inspectorate already shoots common red foxes in large numbers to help the mountain foxes. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news Cannot be shot Thomas Johansen in SNO says the golden jackal cannot be shot, and that in that case it would be considered a punishable environmental crime. – The jackal is not considered an alien species. It has not been posted or moved. It has come by itself, and then it is allowed to come here, he says. The golden jackal is not an actual jackal, but belongs to the same genus as wolves and domestic dogs. It is widespread from Eastern Europe and eastward through Asia, all the way to Vietnam. The stock has suddenly exploded, increasing by 886 per cent in 15 years, writes Dagens Næringsliv. The golden jackal has now been detected in all countries on the European mainland, except Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Sweden. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn



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