Hello, what in the world would suddenly be causing the above in the subject line???? last night we came home to find what looks to be a dead vole (dark grey, shorter tail) with it's face bitten off (back of head was still there i think) laying on the front sidewalk. i scooped it up and carried it to the far back of my 1/2 acre property and tossed it at the base of a tree covered by overgrown weeds. i thought that was the end of it.
this morning i took the dog out and then we went back in the house and i left for work about 8:00. my son called me an hour later at 9 a.m. to tell me that same vole/mouse? was now on the porch in front of the door and he almost stepped on it! I KNOW it was not there when i brought the dog back into the house because he's a 95 lb. german shep who can smell rabbit when he's inside the house with doors and windows closed. he WOULD have seen it if it were there!
i told my son based on where i threw it there was no way possible it was the same critter. something had killed another one and brought it to the front porch in the span of just an hour in broad daylight.
do you have ANY idea what could be doing this? there is a feral cat that i saw about a month ago one night, but haven't seen since. however, my first thought was that it was the way a cat will bring presents to its master. we have 3 cats but they are 100% inside and neutered/spayed.
i'm creeped out to see the face bitten off of these voles or whatever they are, and even more creeped out to think that some larger carnivore is on my small porch in front of my door in broad daylight.
if it was a bird or other predator who was hungry, they take the whole animal, yet on these, the only mutilation is the face. the rest of the body and back of the head don't have any damage.
these are the kinds of wildlife i have in my yard and nearby area: owls, raccoons, squirrels, hawks, other usual birds, opposums, garter snakes, moles, mice, voles, chipmunks, crayfish, 1 feral cat, coyotes in the field a block away, deer and rabbits.
have you ever heard of an animal doing this, eating the face off of voles....no other critters killed, and just two days in a row so far, no other animal? thanks for reading and hopefully responding.
Rita Werner
