On March 14, two amateur photographers stumbled upon a mammal while walking in the National Nature Reserve of the Seine Estuary, in Normandy. "We pulled out our cameras and photographed what we could," they told the local French television channel. Dog? Wolf? The two women hesitated and sent their footage to the park's conservation group, which, in turn, consulted the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). Specialists' verdict: The animal was a golden jackal. This species of canid is smaller than a wolf but larger than a fox, with rounded ears, a pointed snout and a short tail. On April 3, the OFB announced that another golden jackal appeared on an image taken by a camera trap in the Hérault department, in southern France.

Since 2017, Canis aureus has been sporadically spotted in France. They have now been seen in all regions, except for the eastern France region of Burgundy-Franche-Comté. In total, about 80 pieces of data (images and other verified information) have confirmed the presence of this mammalian species, which had never previously lived in the country.

In November 2024, two individuals were photographed for the first time in the same area, in the southern coastal region of Camargue. "The species is present in France, but, for now, there is no evidence that it is established, with adults grouped in a territory," explained Jean-Michel Vandel, a researcher in the genetics and demographics of wolves, lynxes and golden jackals at the OFB. "With the images taken in Camargue, we can, however, start asking the question."

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