The Story (in words) 

 

When the sun loses its shape and the moon comes out of its cave (as the song goes) a family of Golden Jackals make their way through the thicket into a little opening, close to the waters of the river Danube. A set of cameras start recording those beautiful and timid animals and the intelligent way they interact between themselves and with the surrounding world.  

A field researcher is asleep on a camp bed, loosely covered by thin mosquito net, some 30 metres away from that opening. At dawn he’ll make a cup of coffee on the little gas hob and go through the recordings. He then writes in his field diary, speaks on the phone to colleagues from the academia and often emails me, his daughter, with exciting findings or endearing snapshots from what has unfolded before the eyes of the camera. This is my father, Prof. Yulian Konstantinov. 

I am starting this blog site as I want to give my father the opportunity to share with you as he writes to me, without all the scientific jargon.  I will add my perspective too as I  have become passionate about his research centre, the field camp and all things jackal. 

I feel deeply connected with the area of the camp and the jackals’ den as I have spent there nearly every summer of my life. I watch the female jackal bringing her pups to the feeding place and teaching them what is safe to eat and play with. Inevitably I draw parallels between what I see and my earliest memories of being brought by my family for the summer months on the same rocky beach and learning the ins and outs of life in the wilderness. 

It has to be said that the pups are putting me to shame with their discipline and exemplary behaviour. Except the cheeky one which my father named Boldy for his bold and rebellious spirit. We grew a tender spot for Boldy and his mischief and are keeping our fingers crossed for his survival till (at least) next spring when the cameras will start recording again. 

Despite Boldy being our film star, I see this blog as one family writing about another and learning valuable lessons about collaboration, support and survival along the way.  

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Nikolina Konstantinova, 2 October 2024