calves slaughtered?

Noreen1

I read about this on After Hours earlier, and since the source was one that we don't mention in the Donegal forum, I took it with a pinch of salt.

However, the story then popped up on the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-19755077

Two calves have been mauled to death on a farm in Donegal.
The calves' carcasses were found eaten and with ribs broken, on the farm outside Convoy, near Raphoe, on Thursday. It is not known how the animals died.

Now, there's nothing that unusual about animals being mauled, unfortunately. Fair enough, it's usually the poor sheep, but a young calf if separated from its mother could be fair game, I suppose.
What caught my attention in AH is that these animals were allegedly 1 year old.

If that is the case, then it's very unusual to have 2 bullocks/heifers half eaten, and with their ribs broken.
And where better to get the facts than the Donegal forum?:D

So, does anyone living in the Convoy area know anything about this?
What age were the calves? And, if they were young calves, were they separated from the cows?
Personally, I find it hard to believe that a pack of dogs/unknown predator could bring down, not one, but 2, year-old animals. Two young calves, while still unusual, is a lot more believable!

So, what's the truth, and how much is media BS?

muffler

Noreen1 wrote: »

So, what's the truth

Haven't heard of this myself.

Noreen1 wrote: »

and how much is media BS?

No pun intended says you

.17hmr

did they not think it was mink that was the cause of the damage on the young calfs

apache

Maybe is was that big black panther?????

homer simpson

apache wrote: »

Maybe is was that big black panther?????

I thought they were disbanded in 1982 ...



:pac:

That "big cat" seems to pop up from time to time, a remember it when I was a kid never seems to be any proof about it though.

donegal_road

there was a circus in Ballybofey a few weeks ago, maybe they left a lion behind?!

apache

lol
@ homer simpson and donegal_road so it may be the dreaded "black cat" (how old is he now at this stage ) or a lion left behind by the circus!

ah no seriously i'm sure the farmers are not happy :mad:

Noreen1

That cat seems to pop up on a regular basis, alright.:D

This time, though, the kill method suggests canines, since big cats generally bring down their prey by suffocation, and apparently the head and neck areas were untouched.

So, if the calves were young, a pack of dogs would be the logical suspects.
If, however, they were spring-born calves, that either becomes less likely, or raises the possibility of a particularly vicious pack roaming in the area.

That's why I'm interested in the ages of the calves involved.

donegal_road

2 Rottweiler killed 24 sheep in Fintown back in 2010

Media BS, I bet.

Noreen1

Probably.
My first instinct was to dismiss the story, but what captured my interest was an animal welfare officer being quoted as saying that he doubted whether mink or dogs were capable. of inflicting such damage.

The mink theory is a no-brainer, imo.
They're solitary hunters, and in any case I'd expect damage around the jugular from a mink. There apparently was none.

The other thing I founf interesting is that the farmers wife said "calves", not cattle or yearlings/bullocks/heifers.
Thats what made me wonder if they werent young calves that had been separated from their mothers.

The fact that local papers dont seem to be making much of the story is a bit strange, though.
The fact that it was calves involved, rather than sheep, would be. enough to warrant a few lines, I'd have thought, unless the whole story was made up initially, then picked up by the BBC and Highland, or Sam took up all the space?

Noreen1

donegal_road wrote: »

2 Rottweiler killed 24 sheep in Fintown back in 2010

I remember that case. Poor sheep.
It's kinda strange that some of the carcasses were eaten, here, though.
Dogs killing for sport don't usually eat too much of the carcass - unless the carcasses were exposed for quite a while to passing predators?
This story just doesn't make sense, so, at this stage, I'm inclined to put it down to media BS (and this time, the pun is intended:p:D:D)