Overcoming Alpine Barriers: The First Documented Case of Golden Jackal ( Canis aureus ) Settlement in a Subalpine Environment

ABSTRACT

The golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) continues to expand across Europe, yet fine‐scale behavioural data on dispersal—particularly in mountainous regions—remain scarce. Reproducing individuals are recorded further and further to the North and West of the continent, crossing major anthropogenic and natural barriers in the landscape and settling within new habitats. Since jackals are already present or at the doorstep of almost every country on the European mainland, monitoring this range expansion is of great interest to the public and policymakers. The dispersal capacity of jackals is pivotal for their current expansion across Europe. However, research on their movement patterns, particularly natal dispersal, remains limited. Here, we analysed the full dispersal trajectory of a GPS‐collared subadult male originating from the Julian Alps (Slovenia). Using T‐LoCoH utilisation distributions, Net Squared Displacement modelling and Bayesian movement models, we reconstructed its pre‐dispersal behaviour, dispersal phase and subsequent settlement. After several initial exploratory excursions, the young male left its natal home range in mid‐November 2023 and travelled a cumulative distance of 170 km (96 km straight‐line distance), overcoming natural and anthropogenic barriers along the way. After 11 days, it established a stable home range in the Austrian Malta Valley, where reproduction was later confirmed in spring 2024—the first documented case of successful settlement and breeding by a golden jackal in a subalpine environment. During dispersal, the jackal's step length increased in areas with a higher aggregation index as well as at night, suggesting more extensive movement between consecutive GPS acquisitions in more homogeneous areas and during nighttime. Our study provides the first fine‐scale GPS documentation of dispersal, settlement, and subsequent reproduction of a golden jackal in a European subalpine environment. It highlights how both natural and human‐dominated landscapes shape movement behaviour during range expansion.