Golden jackals (Canis aureus) in the border areas of Austria - Hungary (PART II)

Due to its extension to Central Europe (Arnold et al., 2012), the golden jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus 1758) has in recent years increasingly attracted the interest of nature conservation, hunting and science. From the Balkans he extends his settlement area in a natural way. For example, there are confirmed proofs from Austria, Germany and more recently from Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. Previous studies show a broad ecological niche, which raises the question of how the area expansion in the border area between Austria and Hungary will affect the hunting economy and biodiversity in the cultural landscape. In Hungary, the first reproductive evidence was obtained in 1995, and already 10 years later a population density of almost 14 animals per km² was found in core areas of the golden jackal stock (Szabó et al., 2009); The current number of downed golden jackals reached 2,500 for all of Hungary in 2014/2015 (official hunting statistics). In Austria, high population densities have not yet been found - research and observation of the development is becoming increasingly important. The golden jackal is classified as a species of Community interest under Habitats Directive 92/43 and is listed in Annex V, as is the pine marten (Martes martes) or Gams (Rupicapra rupicapra). All EU countries are required to maintain a favorable conservation status of Annex V species and to carry out monitoring, especially if targeted withdrawals are required (Rutkowski et al., 2015). There are various opinions regarding the desired protection status of the golden jackal, since on the one hand its permanent presence (in Austria) has not yet been proven and on the other hand, the assessment of how it affects the domestic fauna, simply missing. The proven progressive spread to central European areas makes a long-term systematic monitoring - especially the areas on the Hungarian border with Austria - unavoidable. As a simple method, bioacoustic stimulation is suitable for this, with which, under certain circumstances, already established, territorial golden jackal groups can be detected. Building on the work of SZABÓ et al. (2014), HELTAI et al. (2013), HATLAUF (2015) and HATLAUF & HACKLÄNDER (2016) on the potential habitat of the golden jackal, population development and relevant methodology will continue the systematic bioacoustic monitoring (BAM) become. In addition to the already proven methods, work with dogs is integrated to find a solution.