Deceased mallard question....picture warning....

[Lucky Lemon]

Hi all,

My beautiful mallard duck was swimming in the pond just fine last night when I did my night checks, and I didn't see him this morning, but upon arriving home today I went to look for him around the pond. I found his skeleton (pretty much intact) along with his wings, but it looks like he was eaten by piranhas! Stripped clean. Any ideas on what could have happened? Could the fish in the pond have eaten him like that so quickly?!? I'm so sad he is gone . He was about 15 years old and completely healthy. Picture below for reference.

 

[Free Feather]

Do you live somewhere that this could have happened, piranhas eating him?

 

[Lucky Lemon]

No, that's just the only way I knew to describe how it looks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

No, that's just the only way I knew to describe how it looks.

possibly snapping turtles they can get huge and most likely eat a mallard duck pretty quick and Large mouth bass will eat ducklings not sure if they would go after an adult mallard.

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[lifeonmarz]

15 seems old for a duck. Even the most tame fish attack when an animal is weak. Also, snakes might be a possibily.

 

[Lucky Lemon]

This makes me pretty anxious as I have a mama goose sitting on eggs that are due to hatch in about two weeks. I've never lost any ducks/geese in our 15 years having them to anything in the water like this before. Sad.

 

[Miss Lydia]

This makes me pretty anxious as I have a mama goose sitting on eggs that are due to hatch in about two weeks. I've never lost any ducks/geese in our 15 years having them to anything in the water like this before. Sad.

You have plenty of time to do some baiting for snappers, they will not only attack and drown and eat adult water fowl plus bite off feet but they will eat gosling and ducklings. So go to you tube and see how they bait to catch them. They are in ponds lakes and rivers in most of the USA especially in the south and they get huge. I'd keep mama and goslings off the pond till goslings are at least 4 weeks old. also large mouth bass will eat baby water fowl .

snapping turtles travel too so you may not have had one till just recently either.

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[Kevin565]

You have plenty of time to do some baiting for snappers, they will not only attack and drown and eat adult water fowl plus bite off feet but they will eat gosling and ducklings. So go to you tube and see how they bait to catch them. They are in ponds lakes and rivers in most of the USA especially in the south and they get huge. I'd keep mama and goslings off the pond till goslings are at least 4 weeks old. also large mouth bass will eat baby water fowl .

snapping turtles travel too so you may not have had one till just recently either.

Very sorry for your loss.

X2. This sounds like a snapper issue that needs addressed.

 

[Lucky Lemon]

I wish there was someone I could call to take care of the turtle problem. I don't know where to begin. There are different ideas for getting rid of them online, but most of them involve shooting them, which I am not able to do.

 

[duckmanjim]

Call the Turtleman! Ever watch Animal Planet? I guarantee it was a snapper! No doubt! There are ways to trap it with bait and hooks . Google it! You must get rid of it asap!