Animals similar to jackals spotted in Prykarpattia: what kind of predators are they and what is the biggest threat to humans

In Prykarpattia, near the village of Novytsi in the Kalush district of Ivano-Frankivsk region, hunters spotted animals that looked like jackals. These predators have been seen before in Zakarpattia, and they are also common in Cherkasy region, as the jackal population in Ukraine has increased fivefold.

According to experts, jackals are confused with young wolves, but they can be even more dangerous. After all, wolves are afraid of people and avoid them, while jackals, on the contrary, feel more confident and can even settle near villages, the Ukrainian Society of Hunters and Fishermen (UHF) notes on its Facebook page.

The head of the Kalush district organization of the Ukrainian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, Vasyl Hryniv, said that four jackals were seen near the village of Novytsi, one of which was killed and sent for examination.

"Some of these hunters have seen jackals in the wild before, so they are sure that this is the predator. Although a young wolf up to three years old can also have such a reddish or gray-brown coat," the head said.

Vasyl Hryniv also added that jackals are not typical inhabitants of Prykarpattia. "However, given the military actions, these animals could migrate to our safer forests. If they breed here like wolves, it will be a disaster. After all, these animals can gnaw not only game in the forest, but also domestic dogs, cats, goats... Their fearlessness towards people can also pose a threat," he emphasized.

Experts from the Ukrainian Society of Hunters and Fishermen say that the population of jackals in Ukraine has increased fivefold. According to this year's census, the number of these animals in Ukraine is 1857. And in Zakarpattia, where there were no jackals before, there are at least 60 of them.

In the summer, a camera trap in Zakarpattia captured another flock of these predators in the hunting grounds near the city of Vynohradiv. Some call it an invasion.

Experts are sounding the alarm, because it is not only an increase in the number of jackals, but also other wild predatory animals - wolves, foxes, which has led to a significant increase in rabies cases.

"We shouldn't forget that predators are a reserve for rabies, a deadly disease for animals and humans, which has more than doubled in two years, according to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection. The situation is catastrophic," said Yuriy Kachur, acting head of the Transcarpathian regional organization of the Ukrainian Society of Hunters and Fishermen.

Given the sharp increase in rabies cases and the growing number of wild animals, foxes and wolves have been allowed to be shot in the Carpathian region for the first time since the beginning of the war, experts say.

Ivan Rusev, Doctor of Biological Sciences, head of the research department of the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park, told Korotko Pro that jackals will be encountered more and more often. "By killing wolves, hunters free up an ecological niche for jackals. Nature does not tolerate emptiness," the scientist explained.

Zoologist Mykola Rozhenko assures us that the first jackals appeared in Ukraine back in the 1970s. Back then, they started coming to us from Romania and settled near the Tuzly estuaries, and from there they spread across the Dniester Delta and forest tracts of the Danube and Black Sea regions. Then they were recorded in Cherkasy region, and now these predators have reached western Ukraine.

"The jackal has adapted to the ecosystem of our country. It has fully adapted to our habitats. There is no region in Ukraine where it is not present," Rozhenko assured.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that the State Border Guard Service showed a bison that came to Ukraine from Slovakia and warned of the danger.

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