What would kill a goat this way?

[hcammack]

Dixygirl that is a red fox with a real bad case a mange and the mottled grey look is the poor things scabs. It is out during the day because it is sick and dieing and needs food.

Henry

 

[Guitartists]

I had never heard of those hairless foxes before.... very good to know. It appears they are common enough, popping up in several states. That most definitely has to be what is on that video.

You learn something new everyday

 

[BasenjiFan]

My vote is for the neighborhood dogs. You'd be surprised how quickly Fluffy can turn into, well, El Chupacabra once let out to roam with his/her local "pack." My neighbor's two GSD (German Shepherd Dogs) ripped my kitten apart when let out accidentally by their pool guy. I also once spotted them carrying a dead puppy down our dirt road. Nothing against GSD, of course, a fine breed - but that's sort of my point. We tend to ignore our dogs' primal instincts, since they are so sweet in the house.

And I'm quite certain that my Basenji would massacre goat kids if given the chance, the way he eyes my goat kids is shameless. Since he doesn't know what to do with the kill, he'd go on to the next moving target. (He has killed wild rabbit around here, he really has no clue how to go about "opening" it.)

FYI: The 25 lb Basenji (small, but mighty) leaves a canine dental impression of a little less than 1 centimeter in diameter, which looks a lot smaller when covered by fur. My parents' 50 lb mutt was bitten in the rear once while chasing off coyotes, and the hole made by that bite was small and hard to find (didn't measure that one). Not pin-sized, but small none-the-less, and well disguised by surrounding fur... if any of that helps

 

[Moonwalker]

Here's a question:
Were the holes in about the same area on each animals/
It sounds to me like it was done by humans. Maybe with some sort of claw tool.
Maybe someone wated to make it look "mysterious" or "mystical" since the owners are Amish?
A weasel most likely couldn't cleanly kill a goat that size. And animals that grab by the neck would mostly leave 4 holes if they grabbed and shook, breaking neck without leaving gaping, bloody wounds.

And as for DixyGirl's "Chupacabra" it is definately some poor mangy coyote or African Wild Dog. (feet too big for a fox) It being out in the daylight showed how desperate it was for food. It probably didn't live too much longer after that taping.

 

[dacjohns]

I'm puzzled. I'm having a hard time with a weasel though.

http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0036

Were these full sized goat kids or miniatures?

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
I have some experience and education in wildlife biology and there is too little concrete information and too much speculation for me to make an informed scientific wild guess. The only blood drinkers in North America that I can think of off the top of my head are insects.

Now is the time for everyone to remind me of blood drinking animals here.

 

[SterlingAcres]

I didn't read the whole thread, but my grandparents lost 50-60 pheasants the same way.

It was a mink and it didn't eat anything, just drank them dry and tore them to shreds. I went to school for taxidermy and took it as one of my specimens

I still have it in storage, it was a real pretty male.

 

[chicknmania]

That is really weird. I can't think of any predator in Ohio that would attack a goat that way. Aren't they a little big for weasels? I can't visualize how big they'd be, but a weasel or mink attack does fit. from what I've heard, too. But, we had a weasel in with our chickens once; he didn't drink the blood, but gutted the bird, left all the good meat. There were no pinhole bites but I've heard they can do that. It's scary, cause my DH told me he watched a show on TV last week where they were talking about mystery attacks on cows; they were finding cows lying in the fields, supposedly, with certain organs removed as if they'd been surgically removed; they were blaming it on UFO',s as it was happening all over the world, supposedly, and the American farmers were blaming the US government for trying to cover something up. Who knows how much truth there is to all that, and I didn't see the show, but that's what it reminds me of.

 

[Eggseronious]

Quote:
I read all post now this is what I was thinking all along! The neighbors dog enters the goats area, grabs one by the neck to hold it down, crushes the spinal, its dead! others are running and blatting and the race is own!! When in doubt look on the neighbors porch.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I asked DH, and he said DOGS!
A bite to the back of the neck is usually how a dog takes down a young goat. They go for the hind legs or hind quarters on larger goats.
Dogs will chase down, kill and then go on to the next one.

Coyotes don't kill for sport. They will leave their prey if they are threatened or scared off, but usually return later and take the carcass with them to a safe place to eat.

Jean