Predator Attack: What Did This?

[bugglesmommy]

About an hour and a half ago I had the most serious attack on my hobby farm to date. I noticed the goats were staring into the treeline and as I looked to see what they were looking at, I saw the lifeless body of one of my chickens. As I examined her, her neck had been broken, my husband found a far more heartbreaking thing, Our potbelly pig, 35-40 lbs had been severely attacked. She couldn't stand and was in severe pain, also having seizures. There were deep punctures and gouges on her sides and back and she had been torn open all the way down her belly. She could not be saved. Her fence was 6 feet high and nothing had broken or dug into it so whatever attacked went over or from above. I am devastated and terrified for my remaining animals. I have dealt with raccoons and possums before but never anything like THIS.

 

[Alaskan]

That almost sounds like a mountain lion!

Wow!

I am so very sorry for your losses!

 

[bugglesmommy]

We don't have a lot of those here in Louisiana, but I do live very close to Kisatche National Forest and have seen them driving through there before so it's not impossible.

 

[TK421]

Im sorry for your loss. i know thats not an easy thing to discover. Several things could have killed your pig like that, including coyote, feral dog, and raccoon. Bobcat and mountain lions are typically very clean killers, and require little more than a single bite to the neck. It's now they're wired, to bite and not let go until its over. Canines however will scratch/maul until they get a bite, then frequently readjust their bite several times until their prey dies. We've documented coyotes climbing 8 ft chain link fences in our research.

 

[Barn Maid Ann]

How awful. So sorry for such a traumatic loss. You have my sympathy.
I can't imagine a hungry wild animal leaving a bird kill to climb a fence to maul a pig. I would think a dog. But if the squealing of the pig was too tempting, I suppose a wild critter could be distracted.
Do you have any neighboring dog nuisances?

 

[browning6]

Coyote would be my first guess. A 6 foot fence is nothing for a coyote. And a pot belly pig is the perfect size for a young coyote to attack but not kill imediately. I would guess you have a very hungry and inexperienced coyote around. A big mature coyote probalby wouldnt have a problem with killing a pig but a young one definately would.

I also wouldnt rule out a domestic dog. I had a dog killing my birds so i built a live trap and baited it with a rooster. I caught the dog the second day i set it. the walls were 6 feet tall so i didnt put a roof on it. thinking it couldnt jump out. that was a mistake. The dog was gone when i got home. Scratch marks up the wall and everything. the dog eventually came back and i shot him and another dog that was with him. Dogs are just as likely as a coyote if you ask me.

 

[Primo]

Definitely a coyote or dog. They can't free jump a 6 foot fence, but can climb one in seconds when motivated. Even easier if you have field fencing with the typical H braces in the corners and in line. Running a couple lines of electric would be a good cost effective barrier. I have just recently run into this problem and am now installing three lines of electric. One at the bottom outside to prevent digging, one half way up, and one a few inches above the top. Nothing is a guarantee. But I probably can guarantee if it was coyotes, they will be back.

 

[JessyGii]

that sounds allot like a bob cat attack. sorry for your loss

try putting a trail cam up to see if you can catch a picture of it if it tries to return, then you will know what your dealing with and could set a trap or find out when it comes around and shoot it.

 

[bugglesmommy]

It is a bobcat but we haven't managed to get it. It came back that night but wasn't expecting the German Shepherd to be outside and we have since added a Great Pyrenees to our home. We have not managed to get a shot at it and now that it's had some large dog encounters, maybe it won't come back.

 

[REDNECK TRAPPER]

It will come back. You need to use some foot hold traps to trap it. Get a live chicken and put it in a cage about 100 yards away and put 4-5 foot hold traps around it.