New records of the golden jackal (Canis aureus L.) in the upper Soča valley, Slovenia | Novi podatki o pojavljanju zlatega šakala (Canis aureus L.) v zgornji Soški dolini

English. Golden jackals (Canis aureus) have been recorded in the Slovenian Julian pre-Alps for more than 50 years. In recent years, however, a substantial increase in sightings of golden jackalshas been recorded in the area around the town of Bovec. During the present study we gathered information through interviews with local hunters and other residents and conducted a basic questionnaire on their opinion about this expanding carnivore. In addition, we performed monitoring of jackals with the use of acoustic playback method, photo-traps and searching for footprints and other signs of jackal presence. We also reviewed the database of the reported jackal depredations on livestock at the Bovec Forest Service. In total, we conducted 31 interviews and gathered information on 100 records of jackal presence from 2009 to 2012. The questionnaire showed a negative attitude toward jackal among local hunters. Using acoustic methods, we were unable to confirm the presence of a territorial jackal group, but we did detect jackals on 26 photographs made with photo-traps at one location. During the study, two jackals were killed by car and we collected tissue samples for potential future genetic analysis. Official records of depredations showed high increase in assumed jackal attacks on sheep, but we could not confirm if or how many of these depredations were actually caused by jackals. Further studies are needed to understand the real extent of jackal predation on domestic and wild ungulates, as well as the origin and development of this new jackal group(s) in the Julian pre-Alps.

Slovenian. Najstarejši podatki o pojavu zlatega šakala (Canis aureus) v Julijskih Predalpah so znani izpred več kot 50 let. V zadnjih nekaj letih pa se je predvsem v okolici mesta Bovec število opažanj šakalov močno povečalo. V raziskavi sva zbrala podatke prek intervjujev s člani lokalnih lovskih družin ter nekaterimi drugimi domačini. Z anketo sva tudi ugotavljala, kakšno je njihovo mnenje o šakalu. Terensko delo je obsegalo izzivanje oglašanja šakalov s predvajanjem posnetkov, nastavljanje samosprožilnih kamer ter iskanje sledi in drugih znakov prisotnosti te vrste. Pregledali smo tudi arhiv zabeleženih škod na drobnici, ki ga vodi krajevna enota Zavoda za gozdove. Opravljenih je bilo 31 intervjujev, prek katerih smo zbrali 100 različnih lokacij šakala med letoma 2009 in 2012. Rezultati ankete so pokazali negativen odnos do pojava šakala na Bovškem. Z metodo predvajanja posnetkov oglašanja nam ni uspelo zabeležiti odziva, zato pa nam je pa pojavljanje šakalov uspelo potrditi z uporabo foto-pasti, in sicer na 26 posnetkih z ene lokacije. Med raziskavo sta bila na območju povožena tudi dva šakala, kar smo izkoristili za odvzem tkiva za morebitne nadaljnje genetske raziskave. Uradni podatki napadov na drobnico velik delež pripisujejo šakalu, a je trenutno težko oceniti, v kolikšni meri je te napade dejansko povzročil šakal. Za realno oceno obsega napadov na drobnico in divjad so potrebne tarčne raziskave, prav tako glede izvora in širjenja šakala v Julijskih Predalpah.