How do our wild mammals die?

Amtmann

A little morbid perhaps, but assuming a badger, fox, otter, stoat or hare doesn't die prematurely from a disease, poison, shooting or road traffic, how do they die? And where? I would imagine that starvation is a problem for old badgers, foxes and otters, etc. Has any research been done on this?

It wasn't me!

Predators who don't die of disease or by human interaction tend to starve to death. Not pretty.

Rainbowsend

Well I guess old rabbit v young fox, just another link in the chain of life!!

Kess73

Depends on the mammal tbh. A true carnivore will die when it reaches an age when it simply cannot catch food or see off rivals.


Herbivores will die when they reach a point where they become too slow to evade a predator or in the cases of herbivores that do not have a natural predator other than man, then old age will see them off either through organ failure associated with age or through starvation caused by hindered mobilty.


Omnivores like the badger would follow a similar path to herbivores.

thefly

usually they stop breathing

SamB64

Wild animals generally look fit and healthy becasue theydon't live out their dotage gracefuuly. You slow down you get eaten or starve. It's that simple really.

:cool: