arts & culture
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Proximity to Humans Could Lead
to Jackal Domestication
Golden jackals, an overabundant species in urban habitats,
have long thrived near people.

Pesach Benson / JNS.org
I 24
MAY 18, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
A long-furred jackal on the Golan Heights
The observation of Jackie’s domestication-like
traits off ers researchers a unique opportunity to
explore this ongoing evolutionary process. Dekel
described the fi ndings as a scientifi c breakthrough,
emphasizing the importance of ongoing research in
genetics, evolution and ecology to gain a deeper
understanding of this remarkable phenomenon.

Dayan said the study highlighted signifi cant
insights into the evolution of human-animal inter-
actions and the processes behind animal domes-
tication. The study’s comparative research, using
collections from the Steinhardt Museum of Natural
History in Tel Aviv, helped to confi rm the identity of
Jackie as a wild jackal.

According to the researchers, the population of
jackals on the Golan Heights continues to increase
each year, mirroring the conditions during the early
stages of dog domestication more than 15,000
years ago. Similar to the past, the availability of
food waste around human environments attracts
jackals that gradually become less fearful of humans.

Over time, these individuals may undergo physi-
cal and behavioral changes, ultimately leading to
self-domestication. As researchers embark on this fascinating journey,
further investigations will shed light on the evolu-
tionary implications of jackal domestication and the
potential for the emergence of a new domesticated
species. The study not only enhances scientifi c
knowledge but also emphasizes the importance
of preserving natural history collections for future
research. With jackals becoming a regular sight in urban
areas, it remains crucial for wildlife and municipal
authorities to educate the public about the risks of
approaching or feeding these animals. ■
Photo by Shlomo Preiss-Bloom/Scientifi c Reports via TPS
sraeli researchers have found evidence that living
in close proximity to humans may lead to the
domestication of jackals.

Golden jackals, an overabundant species in urban
habitats, have long been observed thriving near
human populations. However, a Tel Aviv University
study conducted on the Golan Heights suggests that
the existing closeness between humans and jackals
might be initiating the fi rst stages of domestication,
akin to the domestication of dogs from wolves.

The study conducted by Ayelet Barash, a doctoral
student from Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology,
was published in the peer-reviewed "Scientifi c
Reports" this month, presenting fi ndings that challenge
the current understanding of jackal behavior.

Working in collaboration with Yaron Dekel from
the Shamir Institute for Research and the University
of Haifa, and Professor Tamar Dayan from the
Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and Tel Aviv
University, the researchers initially suspected that a
jackal exhibiting traits of a domesticated animal was
a hybrid of a jackal and a dog. However, through
comprehensive genetic and morphological analyses,
Barash’s team confi rmed that the animal was a wild
jackal and not a hybrid.

This was the fi rst documented case of an animal
possessing characteristics resembling domestica-
tion without recent hybridization.

One indicator of domestication is a change in fur
color, Barash explained. During a camera survey
on the Golan Heights, the researchers discovered
fi ve unusual jackals with long fur, white patches
and upright tails. One of these jackals, nicknamed
“Jackie,” became the focal point of the study.

Genetic and skull examinations confi rmed that
Jackie was 100% jackal, ruling out any dog hybridiza-
tion or known coat color mutations.

The discovery of Jackie raises the possibility that
this might be an incipient stage of self-domestica-
tion, a phenomenon not witnessed in the thousands
of years since the domestication of the last wild
mammal. Israel, particularly the Golan region, holds
historical signifi cance as the birthplace of plant and
mammal domestication.




arts & culture
Nancy Spielberg: ‘We Have to Get
People Back into the Theater’
W Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock via JNS.org
Bradley Martin | JNS.org
hen Israeli filmmaker Tal Inbar approached
Nancy Spielberg with her documentary
“Closed Circuit” about a deadly terrorist
shooting at a Tel Aviv cafe in June 2016, Spielberg
knew that she had to produce it.

“I just came away thinking, what if that happened to
me?” she said.

Spielberg, 66, one of Steven Spielberg’s younger
sisters (he has three) and a distinguished filmmaker in
her own right, was living in Tel Aviv at the time of the
attack. She presented the documentary to an audience of
about 100 at Landmark Theatres in Glenview, Illinois,
on May 4. The day beforehand, she spoke at a screen-
ing of the documentary at a conference of the Melton
School of Adult Jewish Learning.

See Spielberg, page 31
From left: siblings Anne, Sue, Nancy and Steven Spielberg, and lead actors Michelle Williams and
Paul Dano at the premiere for “The Fabelmans” on Nov. 6, 2022
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