Italian jackals, Gorizia Province

Recent identification of a possible reproductive group of golden jackal in Italy

Stefano Pecorella

A recent picture (7.09.2012) of a pair of jackals obtained on Karst (Carso), in the Province of Gorizia. (Photo: Stefano Pecorella). First specimen (part of it) on this special trail is located just above the black line (the bottom picture), the second has bright eyes. Another individual was recorded in may (9.05.2012).
To see more photos and description of habitat follow the link below:
http://cameratrapping.altervista.org/karst/ 

Luca Lapini

As you know, from the same zone there are a lot of excellent pictures both of jackal and wildcat, together with a lot of samples of both species (road kills, illegally harvested specimens, jackal howling records, etc.).

In this place the presence of the golden jackal was ascertained at least from 1994 to the present (please, see Lapini, 1996 and Lapini et al., 2011). This is surely the oldest Italian reproductive situation, at present constituted by at least two specimens simultaneously present in the wild. A quite realistic jackal-howling estimate suggests that in this zone could be present 2-5 specimens.