Author Topic: Who Dunnit? (Read 3929 times)

oor wullie · « **on:** May 19, 2022, 03:24:53 am »

A hare was found dead just outside the house yesterday which had clearly been killed by a predator.
Can anyone confirm what killed it?

I am guessing it wouldn't have been killed by a bird (we have most types of bits of prey in the area) as its so close to the house and there is no sign of bits of fur having been picked off and discarded.

We occasionally get pine Martin's but I've not seen evidence of one since last year.

I know there is a stoat living nearby so she is top of my list of suspects but it would be interesting to hear other opinions.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** May 19, 2022, 03:09:13 pm »

Last year we had a young roe deer whose leg had been taken off by silage machinery. It continued to leap and move about until we got our neighbour with his big rifle to shoot it

The damage to your hare reminds me of that, with a very straight edge to the injury, inflicted as she ran away. She might have dragged herself to your door before she bled out. Is there any field work going on around you?
Or perhaps someone's introduced a Lynx a bit early

Richmond · « **Reply #2 on:** May 20, 2022, 08:01:07 am »

Inclined to agree with FW. Looks like machine damage.

oor wullie · « **Reply #3 on:** May 20, 2022, 10:21:18 am »

I see how it looks like machine damage but;

1) it's a mountain hare, they tend to be fairly nocturnal - certainly they only venture into lower ground at night.

2) within 3km there is no field work being done and only minimal traffic on our dirt road. And between where the hare was found and the hills where they live there are no other humans.

I am still thinking it is a predator.

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #4 on:** May 20, 2022, 10:56:22 am »

I'm thinking caught by a machine, ran on adrenaline/ shock, then finished off by a predatator.
I cannot think of a predator that COULD leave a straight edge like that.
Do they have their young up on the mountain or down in longer grass?
Maybe moving slow as so injured, picked up by eagle or similar, part eaten taking back to nest but dropped?
I found a hare up our lane, still alive, got her to vets but she died, vet said result of being hit by car. Only half km, but still a fair distance to run when you are dying.

Steph Hen · « **Reply #5 on:** May 20, 2022, 12:55:39 pm »

Stoaty mystalid things normally go for back of neck.
Larger animal, dog, fox, would crunch up those bones rather than strip meat.
No footprints?
Skin can tear/rip off remarkably cleanly like that from being pulled/ripped rather than chewed off.
No tufts of fur from being plucked.
Not enough gore/blood for whole thing to have taken place here is my thought. Dropped by whatever killed it?
Actually is that some broken bones sticking up from near spine? Any tooth marks on bones?
Could have been RTA or similar, keeled over here and rats did their work.
Wildlife camera and see what comes back for it?