Golden Jackal Spotted in the Alps: Confirmed Presence Shocks Scientists

Continued Spread of the Golden Jackal

The golden jackal’s reach is expanding further in France, with a confirmed presence in a new area: the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. The French Biodiversity Office (OFB) made this announcement on June 2. In April, the species was captured on film by an OFB camera trap in the municipality of Castellane. This footage allowed experts to confirm the identification of the golden jackal, an animal that looks similar to its relatives, the wolf, the dog, and the fox.

Originally native to Southeast Europe, the first sighting of the golden jackal in France was in 2017 in Haute-Savoie. Since then, it has been spotted in 13 departments across the country, with sightings in every region except Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

“To date, the data collected has not confirmed the reproduction of the species on French soil,” states the OFB press release. However, in November of the previous year, two adult jackals were seen together in the Camargue, which suggests “the likely establishment of a family group.”