A golden jackal was found dead along the provincial road 48 in Val di Fiemme, between Tesero and Panchià, after being hit by a car. The accident occurred in the early afternoon and the carcass was recovered by the Trentino Forestry Corps for the usual checks. Unfortunately, the episode does not represent an isolated case: it is yet another confirmation of the increasingly stable presence of this species in the Trentino area and of the difficult balance between wildlife and human traffic.
An expanding species
The Eurasian golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a canid of Asian and Middle Eastern origin, a close relative of the wolf and the fox. In Italy its presence has been documented since the 1980s, but only in the last ten years has it begun to spread steadily in Northern and Central Italy.
Trentino today represents one of the key territories for the species, with active reproductive nuclei since at least 2020. According to the 2024 Large Carnivore Report of the Autonomous Province of Trento, there are four: in Bleggio/Lomaso, between Cavalese and Tesero, and in the areas of Dro and San Lorenzo Dorsino.
The increase in sightings is partly linked to the movement of young individuals, who leave their pack of origin to look for new territories and partners. However, this dispersal phase involves high risks: the animals are vulnerable to road collisions, poisoning and predation by wolves.
The risks of cohabitation
The discovery of hit jackals is today one of the main indicators of the presence of the species in the area. Only in 2023, another specimen was killed along the provincial road 237 between Ragoli and Saone, while similar cases were also reported in Alto Adige, where a male was found poisoned in Castelrotto.
The presence of the golden jackal, if on the one hand enriches biodiversity, on the other poses new challenges of cohabitation and wildlife management. Roads, inhabited centers and infrastructures represent increasingly dangerous barriers for a species that is still adapting to the anthropized landscapes of the Alpine arc.
You might also be interested in:
