what could be eating these goslings

[nathanielfirst]

wild geese / canada goose - 3 goslings from different families have progressed from stiff unsteady slow walking, to a loose wing, to abandoned by family and a bloody limp useless dangling wing, to disappeared / dead (the wings of all were probably broken / injured thru all these stages but i could not see it). One parent of one of these is seen with broken (chomped) tail feathers with his other goslings at around the same time. some of the siblings of these still with parents also have slight limps, or chomped rear tail feathers sometimes. From one to three goslings might disappear totally at a time as well - one time 2 disappeared from a family and a third had this broken wing thing and was abandoned by the family group. So a recent one I got to the animal rehabilitator in loose wing stage. They called back - there is a large deep tooth puncture wound in his side (i couldn't see it) his wing is broken (he tried to fight back using it), we will have to euthanize due to the puncture wound, and the vet asks me, are there foxes or dogs near, are other siblings missing? I say yes, there are probably foxes in area, and siblings are missing. she says, raccoons go for small chicks, but larger adolescent siblings would be a fox or dog.

so my first question for the board members is, if THREE go missing, is this ONE dog or fox (is a single dog or fox capable of killing three family members? Don't dogs bite down on a rabbit or bone and shake it and refuse to give it up? wouldn't the family flee after the first casualty? can dogs or fox kill so quickly?)
2nd question, if an adult has been pursued (or perhaps one of the adults that have gone missing in the area was this, I didn;t mention them) and chomped, could this be a fox? would it not be a dog, as only a dog could take on an adult goose? could it be more than one dog, for 3 goslings gone at the same time?
... if it is a dog, it is a feral dog, which is worrying. this is an industrial wooded area so possible.
also, could this be a large hawk? perhaps breaking rear tail feathers in struggle, and leaving a claw puncture mark in the side so as to lift a gosling?

thanks if you know

 

[Miss Lydia]

All good questions but hard to answer. Seems if dog unless starving would just play kill and leave. If fox they would snatch and run off with the gosling most likely feeding their young. Coyotes would do the same. Hawk would have a hard time with an adult goose other than killing it out right they could leave one injured. What about snapping turtles they maim goslings and ducklings and kill and eat too. They also injure and kill adults. If you can I'd place a game camera in a concealed area so you can see what is coming around at different times of day and night. Then you'll have your culprits.