the CC change. The natural MORTwas larger than the HUNTMORT, and the REP rate was smaller than the combinednatural and HUNT MORT. H2 data suggest that the goldenjackal had an effect on the fox POP change. Changes in thefox POP parameters show differences in effects as well. Theseeffects are especially demonstrable in Baranya and Somogy,where golden jackal colonization began in the last decade.The parameters are different with the same HUNT MORT.These effects also may be due to the jackal population.

Key words: red fox; golden jackal; carrying capacity;competition

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SECULAR AND SACRED DOGS FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGEIN HUNGARYMarta Daroczi-Szabo*Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eotvos LorandUniversity, Hungary*Address for reprint requests and correspondenceBudapest, Muzeum krt. 4/B, 1088. lea3@citromail.hu

The important tenth- to thirteenth-century village of Kanawas the first medieval Hungarian village ever completelyexcavated. Over 18,000 animal bones have been analyzedfrom this site. Unusually, in third place after cattle and sheepbones, 11% of the identified bones have been from dogs.A dozen dogs were found buried under house foundations, andten specimens were placed in special pits. Four puppyskeletons were found under vessels buried upside down inpits. Although such finds appear out of place in a Christianvillage, their sheer presence reflects the unique role played bydogs in an unofficial popular belief system existing in parallelto formal religion at this medieval rural settlement in Hungary.Dogs would have had many roles in people’s lives in amedieval Hungarian village, sometimes serving as guarddogs, herding dogs, or stray pariah dogs, scavenging near thehouses and on the village roads. Their many-sided relation-ship with people is also reflected in finds that may be called‘‘sacrificial.’’ Although dog meat was not eaten, the skeletonsof these animals have been found in curious positions andlocations within the settlement, all indirectly pointing to thespecial relationship dogs had with the people of Kana.

Key words: dog; medieval; village; sacrificial animals

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URBAN STRAY DOGS LIVING IN A STABLE GROUP:ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGYE. Natolia,*, L. Maraglianoa, C. Fantinia, S. Cafazzob

aAzienda USL Roma D, Ospedale veterinario, Rome, ItalybDipartimento di Biologia Evolutiva e Funzionale,Universita degli Studi, Parma, Italy*Corresponding author: enatoli@tiscali.it

In Italy, by law (no. 281, enacted in 1991), stray dogscannot be euthanatized unless they have an incurable illnessor are proven to be dangerous. Unfortunately, other parts ofthe law (crucial in decreasing the numbers of stray dogs,

such as the registration of owned dogs, substained spay/neuter programs, etc.) have not been thoroughly enforced.The end result is that, despite an average of 1000 adoptionsover 1500 new intakes per year (at a public dog shelter),this no-kill policy has brought about a stable overpopula-tion in shelters with consequent high operational costs and,moreover, some dogs remain in the shelter for their wholelives. Furthermore, in many areas of Italy populations ofstray dogs still exist.Some Italian regional laws implement trap, spay/neuter,register and release programs as an alternative. There are nodata about the fate of the released animals.In the Lazio region, there are 11,000 dogs that are confinedto shelters as described above, sometimes for their entirelives. Clearly, the no-kill policy has not resolved the problemof stray dogs in Italy. A return to euthanasia of captured straydogs is not an option; other strategies have to be considered.

Key words: management strategies; domestic dogs; Italianlaws

64 Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol 4, No 2, March/April 2009

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THE GROWTH OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA AND THEPOPULATION OF THE GOLDEN JACKAL IN HUNGARY INTHE LAST DECADELaszlo Szaboa,*, Miklos Heltaia, Jozsef LanszkibaInstitute for Wildlife Conservation, Szent IstvanUniversity, HungarybDepartment of Nature Conservation, University ofKaposvar, Hungary*Corresponding author: szabol@ns.vvt.gau.hu

The golden jackal (Canis aureus Linneaus, 1758) is one ofthe indigenious predators in Hungary. As a consequence oftransformation and destruction of its habitat, the jackal dis-appeared from the Hungarian fauna by the middle of the20th century. The first solitary specimens reappearedfrom the direction of the Balkan peninsula in the early1980s, and sightings became frequent in the early 1990s.Breeding pairs were noticed in the middle of the last decadeof the 20th century, and huge populations were establishedwithin a short time, mainly in the southern counties.More and more articles were published about the jackal’ssimultaneous reappearance and increasing population inEurope (Slovakia, Romania, Transylvania, Slovenia, Uk-raine, Austria, and Italy). Monitoring of population statusand of the spreading of the golden jackal started right afterthe probable settling of the species in Hungary. Threeindependent methods were used in the present project: (1)analysis of the hunting bag data based on the NationalGame Management Database; (2) mail questionnaire sur-vey among Hungarian Game Management Units (GMU);and (3) field work (collecting proof of specimens, acousticsurvey). The authors also studied the population changes bythe acoustic method in 2 main distribution areas inHungary. The different surveys showed concordant results.Although no more than 11 specimens were shot in 1997,

and 2007. Our study was based on a 1.5-year-long literarywork. We read more than 100,000 pages of hunting andzoological literature including a variety of publications,books, and manuscripts.To assess the observations, we used a unified key thatincludes the main characteristics of the species (Csanyi1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006; Sz}ucsand Heltai, 2002; Heltai et al., 2004) We categorized theobservations and presented these data in a map, and dividedthem into 3 time periods according to the regional changesin our country. We added to these summaries the estimatedpopulation size and the hunting bag data collected by theHungarian Game Management Database (HGMD).We examined 55 observations up to the year 1995. In 7cases the observed animals were not jackals, 26 casescontained questionable data, 8 reports were probably ofjackals, and in 14 cases the identification was accurate.Golden jackals were observed mainly along major riversand between the Danube and Tisza until the1920s. In theperiod between 1920 and 1945, observations were missing;questionable data came from the foothills of the southernCarpathian region. In the last 50 years, the species usedthe major river valleys as corridors to return to Hungary.The return occurred mainly along the Drava, the county ofTolna; along Lake Tisza, the southern part of Nyırseg; andin Fert}o-Hansag. According to data from the HGMD,spreading and reproduction of this invasive indigenouscarnivore is so effective now that the estimated populationsize is about 1500 individuals and the hunting bag is more

Dogs and other canines in the wild 65

the official hunting bag data was 163 in 2006. The numberof jackals observed by the GMUs changed quickly duringthe study period (4 in 1997, and 67 in 2006). With the helpof hunters and game managers, a relatively large number ofproof of specimens were collected (70 carcasses, 8 skins/skulls) during 8 years. The acoustic survey showed 2results. First, the authors verified the continuous presenceof the jackal in a large research area (Somogy, Baranya, andBacs-Kiskun counties). Second, the authors noticed that thepopulation size was eminent mainly in the centers of themain distribution areas.The highest density found was 13.6 specimens/1000 ha(2005). It is above the highest fox density ever counted inHungary (13.0 specimens/1000 ha, 2002), in spite of the factthat the first breeding pairs were noticed about 10 years ago.The northward spreading in Hungary is occurring by thebanks of rivers (Danube, Tisza), as well as in the countries ofthe Balkan peninsula. The results show that the goldenjackaldas a well-monitorable speciesdhas been spreadingintensively in Hungary, showing the characteristics of inva-sive species. The only limiting factor in the spread seems tobe the quality of the habitat (availability of hiding places andminimal disturbances). The jackal, as a top predator, can oustother predators (e.g., red fox) from the same habitat. Theexpansion of the jackal is discontinuous, however, the densityof the population can show relatively high increases in thepreferred habitats (core areas) in a very short time.

Key words: Canis aureus; spreading; expansion; acousticsurvey

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THE PAST 200 YEARS OF THE GOLDEN JACKAL (CANISAUREUS L., 1758) IN HUNGARY – ‘‘REED WOLF’’:OBSERVATIONS FROM THE 1800S TO TODAYTamas Totha, Eleonora Sz}ucsb,*, Miklos HeltaicaBudapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, HungarybDepartment of Zoology, Mammal Collection, HungarianNatural History Museum, HungarycInstitute for Wildlife Conservation, St. Stephen University,Hungary*Corresponding author: szucs@nhmus.hu

The population of the golden jackal in Hungary supposedlybecame isolated and decreased to a very small size in thelate 19th and early 20th centuries. The last specimens wereseen in the early 1940s, and in the following 40 years thespecies was thought to be absent from the Hungarian fauna.Vagrant individuals existed from the early 1980s, and soonreproductive pairs resettled. Proper identification of thespecies caused serious problems both in the past and morerecently as well. The older literature includes notes regard-ing the ‘‘reed wolf,’’ with minimal information given. Thejackal was less known in the Hungarian fauna, and therewere disputes for decades as to the existence of the species.Our aim was to review the literature of sightings andobservations of golden jackals in Hungary between 1800

than 150 specimens per year. On the basis of our study, thegolden jackal was probably much more widespread inHungary than we supposed. Presumably, information aboutthe golden jackal was hard to come by; not only huntersbut also zoologists argued about the classification andappellation of the species. Most hunters were not at allsure about the existence of this canid in Hungary.According to our maps, it seems that the most likely andprobable observations for each time period came onlyfrom the Nyırseg and Hortobagy region; presumably thegolden jackal has been living there in the past 200 years.

Key words: Canis aureus; jackal; Hungary; literature;observation; occurrence

References:

Csanyi, S. (Ed.), 1999. Hungarian Game Management Data Base 1994-1998

(in Hungarian). Department of Wildlife Biology and Game Manage-

ment. Agricultural University, Godoll}o, Hungary.

Csanyi, S. (Ed.), 2000. Hungarian Game Management Data Base 1999/2000

(in Hungarian). Department of Wildlife Biology and Game Manage-

ment. St. Stephen University, Godoll}o, Hungary.

Csanyi, S. (Ed.), 2001. Hungarian Game Management Data Base 2000/2001

(in Hungarian). Department of Wildlife Biology and Game Manage-

ment. St. Stephen University, Godoll}o, Hungary.

Csanyi, S. (Ed.), 2002. Hungarian Game Management Data Base 2001/2002

(in Hungarian). Department of Wildlife Biology and Game Manage-

ment. St. Stephen University, Godoll}o, Hungary.