A few years ago, the golden jackal, a species not typical for this country, was spotted in the wild in Latvia. According to zoologist Jānis Ozoliņš, initially, it was mostly juveniles that were sighted in Latvia, but in recent years, more and more adult members of the species have been appearing.

Over the years, the number of these predators in Latvia has increased. J. Ozoliņš points out that jackals do not pose a threat to the distribution of native predators. The centre of their distribution is Zemgale, around Jelgava, but they are also found in Kurzeme, as far as Ventspils, with several reports from Vidzeme and even Latgale. All evidence shows that jackals have established themselves and are breeding within Latvian territory. There are no reports of damage to livestock, but theoretically, sheep farmers should bear in mind that another predator species now lives among us, Jānis Ozoliņš tells Latvijas Radio.