It was observed for the first time in France in 2017 in the Northern Alps.
A few times since, the presence of the golden jackal, halfway between the fox and the wolf, has been confirmed by the authorities.
And in particular, in Deux-Sèvres, at the end of 2020. It was again in this department that on January 15 and 22, 2023, the images taken automatically by a photo trap installed in the small town of Saint-Coutant made it possible to attest of his presence in the department.
The images have been analyzed and verified by “international experts on the species, including those from the French Office for Biodiversity” according to a press release from the prefecture relayed by
La Nouvelle République
.
It is certainly the same animal as the one spotted at the end of 2020 in Clussais-la-Pommeraie, a town located 8 km as the crow flies from Saint-Coutant.
According to the French Office for Biodiversity, Canis aureus is present over a vast area between Asia and Europe.
For sixty years, it began a phase of colonization with populations settled in the Balkan region and some observations of isolated individuals in Western Europe.
It can weigh from 7 to 17 kg and has a height at the withers of 45 to 50 cm, taller than the fox with a short tail and an often golden coat.
Discreet like foxes, it is a scavenger that feeds by opportunity.
It is "not huntable or trappable" according to the European Union's Wildlife Habitats Directive.
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