The growth of the distribution area and the population of the golden jackal in hungary in the last decade

Abstract

The golden jackal (Canis aureus Linneaus, 1758) is one of the indigenious predators in Hungary. As a consequence of transformation and destruction of its habitat, the jackal disappeared from the Hungarian fauna by the middle of the 20th century. The first solitary specimens reappeared from the direction of the Balkan peninsula in the early 1980s, and sightings became frequent in the early 1990s. Breeding pairs were noticed in the middle of the last decade of the 20th century, and huge populations were established within a short time, mainly in the southern counties. More and more articles were published about the jackal’s simultaneous reappearance and increasing population in Europe (Slovakia, Romania, Transylvania, Slovenia, Ukraine, Austria, and Italy). Monitoring of population status and of the spreading of the golden jackal started right after the probable settling of the species in Hungary. Three independent methods were used in the present project: (1) analysis of the hunting bag data based on the National Game Management Database; (2) mail questionnaire survey among Hungarian Game Management Units (GMU); and (3) field work (collecting proof of specimens, acoustic