diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index f2c0eb0..989d01e 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ build-perl:
 
 .PHONY: check-perl
 check-perl: testdata.db
-	cd $(builddir)/src/perl && $(MAKE) test database="../../$<"
+	cd $(builddir)/src/perl && $(MAKE) LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$(abs_builddir)/src/.libs" test database="../../$<"
 
 .PHONY: install-perl
 install-perl: