In recent days, four dead and four seriously injured lambs have been found on the seawall at Lauwersoog. Given the nature of the injuries, experts suspect a golden jackal may have struck.
Sheep farmer Eelkje Kingma found the first injured animals on Saturday morning, she says at RTV Noord. “Sunday and Monday it was hit again. Most animals were attacked on the buttocks. We even found a loose leg.”
For a moment Kingma thought that the animals had been attacked by a wolf. But an expert from the provincial fauna organization BIJ12 ruled that out. “He said: I don’t think it’s a wolf, because a wolf makes it even crazier,” said the sheep farmer.
Like the wolf, the golden jackal is a canid, but the golden jackal is smaller and lighter. The animal also has a pointed snout.
Like the expert, she now assumes a golden jackal is to blame:
On New Year’s Eve 2022, a golden jackal attacked a sheep near the Frisian village of Paesens, not far from Lauwersoog. According to BIJ12, the jackal also struck in Ferwert and Ljussens, also in the north of Friesland.
Mammal expert Harrie Bosma suspects that the protected golden jackal, also known as reed wolf, established itself in the salt marsh area outside the dikes in North Friesland in the course of last year. “The extensive salt marshes behind the sea dike are an ideal habitat for this animal. It is known as a mouse and rat catcher and it also catches hares. There are many of them here, and of course there is a lot of peace and cover. He can walk for miles without crossing a dike or meeting a person,” said Bosma earlier in the AD.
This country is too small
Sheep farmer Kingma fears new attacks. If that happens, she will be forced to bring all five hundred sheep back to the farm. “Then we have a big problem,” says Kingma. “Because the golden jackal is a protected species, we can’t hunt it. But it doesn’t belong here, just like the wolf. This country is just too small for these kinds of animals.”
The results of the DNA test are expected in May. Then there is also certainty whether it is a golden jackal.
In the meantime, sheep farmers can best prepare themselves, BIJ12 writes on the website. “The earlier and the more measures are taken, the better. The emphasis is initially on securing sheep and goats. Locking up livestock at night is a reliable measure to prevent attacks. Another important measure is placing of a wolf-proof fence. This fence also keeps a golden jackal at bay.”
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