bobcats killed my sheep? graphic description

[kstaven]

I really doubt it was a dog. Big cat, yes.

 

[carolinagirl]

If none of the animal was consumed, it was more than likely domestic dogs. This link is very helpful in determining which predator might have done it.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw135

Coyotes


Bite marks and subcutaneous bruising under neck and throat, bloody foam in the trachea

Attacks to sides and hindquarters

Canine puncture spacing: upper canines = 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 in., lower canines = 1-1 in.

Often bite and consume nose, particularly on very young animals

Feeding: usually begin on flank just behind the ribs, consuming organs and entrails

Domestic Dogs

Indiscriminate mutilation of prey, bites on multiple areas of body

Note: Some dogs become efficient predators and attack prey in a fashion similar to coyotes, and some coyotes attack prey in an indiscriminate fashion similar to dog attacks

Often do not feed on prey, or consume very little

Bobcats

Usually kill small lambs by biting on the head or back of neck

Often leaps on the back and bites the neck and throat of larger prey

Hemorrhaging from claw punctures often can be found below the skin on the neck, back, sides, and shoulders

Paired upper and lower canines usually are -1 inch apart

Often begin feeding on the viscera after entering behind the ribs

∙ Often drag and cover prey

Black Bear


Often kill with crushing bites to spine, skull, and dorsal side of neck

Claw marks often found on the neck, back, and shoulders of larger prey

Often kill more than 1 anima

Usually consume the udder and flank, usually remove intestines intact and do not eat

Carcass often almost entirely eaten and carcass often skinned out leaving the hide intact

Prey often dragged to cover, prey sometimes covered with grass and dirt

Panther/Cougar

∙ Usually bite to the back of the neck and skull causing massive hemorrhaging

Large canine tooth punctures, upper canines 1-2 in. apart, lower canines 1-1 in. apart

Large claw marks on head, neck, shoulder, flank

Usually eviscerates the carcass, removes entrails and move aside

Consume lungs, heart, liver, and larger leg muscles

May drag and cover prey

 

[greybeard]

Unless something frightened it off before it could finish it's kill and consume any, I doubt it was a cougar. They are common here in the woods (Sam Houstn Nat'l Forest borders 3 sides of my property and 155 ft from my front door)

The attack method and parts cunsumed description above is pretty accurate from what I've seen first hand with calves attacked by a cougar. They almost always approach from the rear, dig their claws into the flanks and quickly work their way up the body moving forward to the victim's head and throat. They make pretty fast work of it, and not a terrible amount of noise from the cat. They do not always finish the kill before beginning to consume the soft parts tho. I've never heard 1st hand of a cougar killing without intent to feed. They, unlike canines, are usually hunters--not wanton murderers. Cat tracks btw, will only display claws when on attack--claws are retracted most of the rest of the time.

Feral hogs or a boar does all or most of their damage to the underbelly, slashing upwards with their tusks, and it's usually a running fight covering quite a bit of area, and yes--it will be a very loud encounter--lots of loud squeeling and grunting. In my area, I've never heard of a hog killing a large mammal for food other than young piglets. They will eat their young.

My guess is feral or domestic dogs.

I am not familar with sheep, but when dogs get after cattle, even domestic dogs, the initial bite marks will be on the extremities. lower legs, tail, nose, and especially on the ears, as they attempt to catch and hold their victim. Most canines don't attack livestock(coyotes excepted) for food. They do it both for the "fun" of it and as part of a long ingrained primal instinct that hasn't quite (and never will be) bred or 100% "trained" out.

Do you have Timber Wolves in your area?

If it should occur again, shear the victim as close to the skin as possible and let a vet examine it.

 

[77Herford]

Sounds very much like a Cougar attack. The hind quarters of wool being off and partially munched on. The puncture wounds on the neck and the neck being slashe could easily been a lucky grab of a claw while attempting to tackle the prey but I am surprised by the fact that the dogs didn't do anything and no sounds were heard. Cougars like to ambush their prey and hit hard and fast. Its odd that it would take out two targets unless the second ram tried to defend its friend.

It could also be a Black bear.

 

[Queen Mum]

Black bear would snap the neck and carry/drag it off. So I doubt it would be a bear. It sounds like a big cat. Big cats go for the hind quarters to disable then get up to bite the neck.

 

[muddinyori]

I live in Newtown CT, which is all country. THEY SAY (DEP) we don't have bob cat or lynx or mountain lion in our area. WE BEG TO DIFFER. Most of us have seen the bob cat and the lynx. We have seen paw prints as big as a mans hand in the mud and snow in my yard now for 7 yrs. We have seen the bob cat and lynx and they are as big a my dog. My dog is a German Shepard rot mix. He weighs 103 lbs. We have a farm next to us that had 26 adult sheep, past couple months they had 12 babies, now they only have 5 of those babies. No, the owners of the farm, do not slaughter them for food. They had a goat, we were told one of the big cats got the goat couple years back. Someone 2 miles from me lost their golden retriever to they believe a mountain lion. We find body parts in our yard all the time. Because the farm is next door you can see 4 large pastures, I don't know how many acres, whole farm is 150 acres. The deer always have their babies in these pastures, because they are fenced in, I guess the moms hope they are protected. There were 4 babies this past summer (2011) two babies that were about 4 months old, they were by my house/porch one day, the next day we found some of there body parts in our wood pile. We have the mother filmed on video walking along our property, I say this because she was attacked by a large cat and you could see her previous scars from the attack. She was all healed, but the scars were crystal clear. It grabbed her by the throat area, you could clearly see where the paws on both sides of her grab her and sliced through her. She was in my yard 20 feet or so away, her back end was a high a my shoulder which is 4-1/2 feet, she was not small by no means. She was very careful when coming through the area. We heard kills going on out in the forest for years, thought it was the coyotes, we got a baby monitor and researched the internet for bobcat and lynx killing different animals. I have put a lot of time into the researching part of it. We know its a big cat, you can hear it breath over the baby monitor, they're killing rabbits. Any one that had lost a cat, sorry to say is never found. We have heard cats and small dogs and other things getting killed in the forest. It's terrible to hear. The local dog warden gets pictures of the bob cats and lynx sent to them all the time. Now 3 years ago we saw a very very large black cat that looked like a mountain lion but black. It was snowing and jumped a horse gate, we went out to check out the paw prints and how far the jump was, it jumped about 15 feet in one leap alone. I know someone that lived on a farm up the street, said his dad killed a huge black cat years ago because it was killing their livestock. We were told and researched off the internet about mountain lion being introduced early in 2003 ?? to help kill off some of the deer population because of deer caring ticks. Cats like rabbits multiply and with all the coyotes around also I sure it will contribute to live stock being killed not only in CT but all over, even NC. I have read up about these big cats, cats will play or kill something just for the heck of it. Coyotes will kill it because they're hungry. My house cat will kill a mouse, not once did he ever eat one. Its in there nature. You never know, it could have been one of these big cats with CUBS and she was training them on how to kill, but didn't finish the job. Or it still could have been a big cat, but not a mature cat they knew how to kill your sheep. One of my neighbors SMALL donkeys was attacked about 3 years back, the nose and mouth area was ripped apart, she didn't know what could have done this. I told her about the bob cats in the area and how a cat will try to suffocate their prey and if it wasn't mature enough to follow through. Readers digest had an article about 8 years, girl scout group camping, sitting around a fire when a baby mountain lion came up be hide a little girl, starting licking her on the neck. Flip side of this story, they attack the neck, because it was so young it knew to go for the neck but licked the girl instead. Counselor that gave the story said if it was older and knew it would have grab the girl in a second and took her into the forest. I am sorry to hear about your lost with your sheep. The good thing about the internet is how we can reach out to others in need to help one another, strangers or not. I will say this, before we got the monitors you never heard a peep and neither did my dog, since we got the monitors, now you hear everything. If you want to hear whats going on out in your yard, barn etc. Buy a baby monitor, walmart $15.00 If you are more aware of what could be around you and in your area. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE or your pets life ONE DAY. GOOD LUCK !!!!

 

[KinderKorner]

I think no on bobcat.

My guess is Cougar.

Despite if the local parks say there isn't any around in your area.

They kill or hurt silently, and make nice clean cuts.

We never thought we had cougars here.

Until neighbors goats started disappearing without a peep, and friends found several 200+ pound mauled goats in the woods that had somehow been carried over their 4' electric fence.


I'm so sorry it happened. I would be putting up some cameras, and do some tracking or trapping. If they killed once, they likely may come back again.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

My first thought is Cougar.

 

[bonbean01]

Oh...I'm so sorry for the losses I'm in Northeast MS and folks around here said there used to be many brown panthers, but they are all gone now...not so...hubby and I have seen brown panther youngsters several times near our road...so...obviously there is a mama and papa panther somewhere...could you have them in NC? A bad pack of dogs can also do so much horror...had a large and growing pack near us for awhile and we have our sheep and chickens on lock down at night now...neighbour had one come after a grandchild and he picked them off one by one, so that problem is gone now.

So sad...so sorry

 

[ILuvSheep]

Cougar sounds like it, I would say wolf if you had 'em, but then again I don't know what a wolf attack looks like and they would drag it off


So sorry,