Hedgehog predator?
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Found the sad and gruesome remains of an adult hedgehog in my front garden (very close to the house) on Saturday. It had been decapitated, intestines strewn on the ground though the body was rolled up and curiously there was an approximately 4 inch deep hole within a foot of the remains – with faeces in it.
The location is on the busy village main street, with open access. There are badgers and foxes in the nearby countryside but I have never seen them actually in the village! Do either of these animals defecate at the site of a killing?
Any ideas?Hi WaterDragon
What an upsetting thing to find. I don’t know what might have killed the poor hog, but badgers are their main natural predator, although some foxes apparently become ‘specialist’ hedgehog killers. Domestic dogs do sometimes kill hedgehogs, but not sure about eating them or decapitating them. I suppose an animal (potentially badger or fox) could have been disturbed and left the intestines?
From what I understand, badgers have latrines fairly near to their setts, but foxes will defecate in other places – to mark their territory – which conceivably they might do to ‘claim’ an area where they found food.
If you can remember what the poo looked like, a bit of research on line of different wild animal’s poos might answer that part of the question.
I just hope you don’t find any more dead hedgehogs.
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