abstract |
The golden jackal continues to slowly inhabit the north of Central Polissia and to disperse. Mostly single individuals are found. The social structure of the jackal is flexible and groups of more than two individuals are found in places of food concentration. A similar situation occurred in the Ubort River valley near the Ukrainian–Belarusian border, when visual encounters of jackal family consisting of probably 3–4 animals were very frequent near the burial place of livestock corpses. In the north of Central Polissia of Ukraine, the jackal has been recorded since 2014. The species is rare here. According to the registration of tracks, this predator is found on a less forested forest ridge between the settlements of Ovruch–Velidnyky–Slovechno–Levkovychi and in the valley of the Uborti River, which is a natural corridor of the species’ northward dispersal. Given Ukraine’s course towards EU membership and the position of the Baltic countries on the jackal, our country will obviously have to take into account the special status of the jackal as a species that has expanded its range on its own. Accordingly, this predator should not be considered an invasive species. Obviously, the problem with the jackal in forested regions of north of Ukraine will be much less severe than in the south in the floodplains of large rivers. In the Polissia, in trophically rich broadleaf forests with mosaic forest cover, the jackal is likely to coexist successfully with the wolf. Interspecific relations between wolves and jackals do not take the form of direct pursuit, but rather by marking territory. It has been found that jackals respond to chemical and visual markings of wolves during dispersal and try to quickly leave areas with high wolf population density. Unlike solitary wolves in the wild, solitary jackals are able to forage for food much more efficiently and therefore have a higher chance of survival in the wild. The preconceived notion of the jackal as a problematic species may not allow for an unbiased assessment of its impact on ecosystems. In its relations with humans, the jackal in the Polissia is a less problematic species compared to wolves, foxes, or American minks. It is necessary to inform the Ukrainian public, authorities and politicians about existing international legal instruments and European experience in managing populations of carnivorous mammals, including the golden jackal. |
references |
Boskovic, I., M. Speranda, T. Florianjicic, N. Sprem, S. Ozimec, [et al.]. 2013. Dietary habits of the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus L.) in Eastern Croatia. Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus, 78 (3): 245–248.
Crimmins, S. M., T. R. Van Deelan. 2019. Limited evidence for mesocarnivore release following wolf recovery in Wisconsin, USA. Wildlife Biology, 1: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00511
Cunze S., S. Klimpel. 2022. From the Balkan towards Western Europe: range expansion of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) — a clivatic niche modeling approach. Ecology and Evolution, 12: e9141. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9141
Dondina O., S. Saura, L. Bani, M. C. Mateo-Sanchez. 2018. Enhancing connectivity in agroecosystems: focus on the best existing corridors or on new pathways? Landscape Ecology, 33: 1741–1756. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-018-0698-9
Farkas, A., F. Jánoska, J.-T. Fodor, A. Náhlik. 2017. The high level of nutritional niche overlap between red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and sympatric golden jackal (Canis aureus) affects the body weight of juvenile foxes. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 63 (3): 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-017-1101-x
Gompper M. E., R. W. Kays, J. C. Ray, S. D. Lapoint, D. A. Bogan, J. R. Cryan. 2006. A comparison of noninvasive techniques to survey carnivore communities in northeastern North America. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 34: 1142–1151. https://doi.org/10.2193/0091-7648(2006)34[1142:ACONTT]2.0.CO;2
Krofel, М., H. Potočnik, 2008. First record of a golden jackal (Canis aureus) in the Savinja Valley (Northern Slovenia). Natura Sloveniae, 10 (1): 57–62.
Krofel, M., G. Giannatos, D. Ćirovič, S. Stoyanov, T. M. Newsome. 2017. Golden jackal expansion in Europe: A case of mesopredator release triggered by continent-wide wolf persecution? Hystrix, The Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 28 (1): 9–15.
Männil, P., N. Ranc. 2022. Golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Estonia: development of a thriving population in the boreal ecoregion. Mammal Research, 67: 245–250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-021-00615-1
Markov, G. 2012. Golden Jackal (Canis aureus L.) in Bulgaria: What is going on? Acta Zoologica Bulgaria, 4: 67–71.
Markov, G., J. Lanszki. 2012. Diet composition of the golden jackal, Canis aureus in an agricultural environment. Folia Zoologica, 61 (1): 44–48. https://doi.org/10.25225/fozo.v61.i1.a7.2012
Sillero-Zubiri, C., M. Hoffmann, D. W. Macdonald. (eds). 2004. Canids: Foxes, wolves, jackals and dogs. Status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland, 1–443. https://shorturl.at/hHOPZ
Soto, C., F. Palomares. 2015. Coexistence of sympatric in relatively homogeneous Mediterranean landscapes: functional importance of habitat segregation at the fine-scale level. Oecologia, 179 (1): 223–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3311-9
Stoyanov, S. 2012. Golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Bulgaria, current status, distribution, demography and diet. In: Modern Aspects of Sustainable Management of Game Population. Proceedings of International Symposium on Hunting. Serbia, Zemun-Belgrade, 48–55. https://shorturl.at/gmnJN
Suarez-Tangil, B. D., A. Rodriguez. 2021. Integral assessment of active and passive survey methods for large-scale monitoring of mammal occurrence in Mediterranean landscapes. Ecological Indicators, 125: 107553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107553
Torretta, E., O., Dondina, C. Delfoco, L. Riboldi, V. Orioli, [et al.]. 2020. First of habitat suitability and connectivity for the golden jacal in north-easten Italy. Mammalian Biology, 100 (6): 631–643. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-020-00069-z
Trouwborst, A., M. Krofel, J. D. C. Linnell. 2015. Legal implications of range expansions in a terrestrial carnivore: the case of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Europe. Biodiversity Conservation, 24: 2593–2610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0948-y
Volokh, A., N. Rozenko. 2016. Modern distribution and morphology of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Ukraine. Beitrage zur Jagd- und Wildforschung, 41: 307–318.
Waldron, A., A. O. Moores, D. C. Miller, N. Nibbelink, D. Redding, [et al.]. 2013. Targeting global conservation funding to limit immediate biodiversity declines. Proceedings of Natl. Acad. Sci., 110 (29): 12144–12148. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1221370110
Whittington, J., K. Heuer, B. Hunt, M. Hebblewhite, P. M. Lukacs. 2015. Estimating occupancy using spatially and temporally replicated snow surveys. Animal Conservation, 18 (1): 92–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12140
Zagorodniuk, I. 2014. Golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Ukraine: modern expansion and status of species. Proceeding of the National Museum of Natural History, 12: 100–105.
|
