What the heck did this? [Warning: Graphic photos]!

[Mini Horses]

So sorry. I would also be just heartbroken!

What jumps at me from the pictures is that the ONLY damage appears to be a missing head that looks neatly removed. Generally the gut is opened or just more damage to the carcass. To me that is odd for any animal found killed. If being chased, one could have dropped and died from fright or such stress. Large predators would have taken the carcass or consumed more.

 

[mystang89]

Only thing I've ever seen just take a head was a raccoon with my chickens.

 

[Baymule]

Whatever it was, it now knows where to find it's next meal. It will be back. Putting them up at night is good, but predators can come out during the daytime also.

Again, I mention LGDs. Yes they take some training, yes they take some time, but they sure are worth it. In this picture is Trip, our male. We had him before we got sheep, so there was a learning curve. He got that teenager attack of stupid and thought it a fun idea to chase lambs-and I had to straighten him out. Now he adores the baby lambs. Our female, Paris had never seen a sheep and it took some time to get her to accept them. But I couldn't ask for a better guardian than Paris. Both took time and training, but I sleep easy at night because I know my sheep are well guarded. Both dogs are on super alert now because of the lambs.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

This is not my area of “expertise” but does anyone else find it a little odd that there is no blood around the lamb? (Unless soar moved the lamb) @greybeard - any ideas? We have LGD’s so don’t deal with anything like this.

Soar, did you check over the bodies thoroughly? Part the hair to see if you could find any punctures? Did you check along the hocks?

How many lambs do you have right now?
Older or younger than these lambs?

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Mini Horses]

Honestly -- any chance a 2-legged predator? No blood, no mess, no other damage...very unsettling, if an animal attack I would expect more evidence of their kill. Plus the ewe would normally be putting herself between them and danger...she looks untouched. Any prints around on ground? Very unsettling all around.

 

[soarwitheagles]

Hey everyone! Thank you for your replies. This has never happened to us before and not sure what to make of it.

I sent the pics to our local animal control officers who have years of experience and know this area well and know how to "read" kills.

Their reply today really concerned me. They are saying this was done by a human, not an animal. That is sick, real sick. I have no clue who would do such a thing. What makes it most painful is those were two of my favorite lambs of all.

Anyhow, they have suggested we contact the Sheriff's office and they also suggested we have UC Davis do an necrospy.

After reading their email, I went back out to the forest to collect the carcasses. Dang, not a trace of either of the lambs...no drag marks, no blood, no nothing. I did see one coyote and it ran after it saw me.

I will have the Sheriff out tomorrow. I also just ordered a number of game trail cams, rechargeable batteries, and will also install some HD IP IR cams in the forest area [I can only go out 100 yards with them].

Does anyone else here think this was done by a human? How the heck could a human catch these lambs? They will not permit humans to get near them and they run from you and they are very fast.

To answer your questions...

Yes, now I am interested in LGD. In fact, I now feel as if we can't continue without them.
We had a total of 15 lambs. Most are 21-60 days old. We have two more ewes getting ready to drop their lambs any day.
I just moved the entire flock back into our sheep pen and it is lighted at night.

 

[Latestarter]

Whatever killed them I have no idea, but I'm sure the wild predators would have smelled the blood/carcasses and unless the humans came back to collect the bodies, they may have been removed by coyotes or some other. Sorry Soar... the possibility that it was done by a person just makes it the worst case...

 

[Southern by choice]

@Goat Whisperer mentioned this to me this morning. She said no way was that an animal predator. Too clean. I had my suspicions, but hate to think that way.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I don’t know your situation, animals, setup, etc. but humans were my first thought.

I thought about PMing you, because something seemed off about this.

This is becoming a more and more common occurrence. People are crazy. Ritual killings happen. A few years back there was a farm that had a bunch of animals slaughtered during the night, interesting enough it was only horned animals that were taken/killed. Dehorned animals were left alone.

Others had animals of a certain color taken (I wonder why it happened to be your 2 black lambs).

 

[greybeard]

How the heck could a human catch these lambs? They will not permit humans to get near them and they run from you and they are very fast.

.22 with an oil filter silencer can catch just about anything. Perhaps shot in the head.