What happened here? (a bit gruesome)

[Pablo]

I came across this at the weekend. I found it on the outskirts of my local wood. I know there aren't any earths in that wood. I searched the area and there was no sign of any other tracks (except deer) or anything else to suggest what had actually happened no blood or fur. As far as I know, no traps are used around here, so I can only think the body is some way away and a carrion eating bird dropped it. Any other theories?

Pablo

 

[huntersforge]

Is it the leg of a fox ?

 

[torjusg]

Looked more like dog to me, maybe it has been hit by a car and the leg was seperated?

 

[Pablo]

I thought it was a fox, but now I tend to agree with Torjus. I think it might be a dog. I would say that a fox's leg is a bit darker in colour (even black).

There's certainly no roads in the vicinity of this wood. But of course it could have happened elsewhere and been carried here by something. Where's our Bushcraft Scene of Crime people?

Pablo

 

[JonnyP]

I think it may of been dropped by a crow, after being picked up beside the road.....

 

[xylaria]

I might be wrong but there appears to be a black bent metal bar in the undergrowth in the picture, I know nothing about traps, I was just wondering. It is a grim sight. :aargh4:

 

[Pablo]

I might be wrong but there appears to be a black bent metal bar in the undergrowth in the picture, I know nothing about traps, I was just wondering. It is a grim sight. :aargh4:

There was nothing metal in the vicinity. Sorry that it is a bit gruesome. I'm just curious about what happened to the poor creature. I'm also interested in tracking in general and this is a find that I couldn't resist sharing.

Pablo

 

[Backyard Bushcraft]

no blood, could it have been washed down a stream and taken from there? doesnt look too clean of a cut n too high up the leg for a trap, alien abductions gettin sloppy?? must have been awful for the dogs owners

 

[Justin Time]

Could it have dropped out of a tree? Big cats like to stash their prey up trees....

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Its a shy zombie dog leg, and it stopped crawling along when it spotted you !! :theyareon



Just a shame about the dog

 

[hammock monkey]

hi Pablo,
did you get any pics of the surrounding scene without your own footprints?

hopefully there'll be sign around there that'll give a few clues. maybe the rest of the body will be nearby, or there is a lot of disturbance around that area indicating that it was caught in a trap either there or nearby.
If it was caught in an illegal trap the leg may have been thrown well clear by whoever set the trap.
if you do find the trap(s), take them to the police, or destroy them yourself.
keep an watch over the local natural runs and paths in the woods that would be the most likely snare points, you may find human disturbance around there's areas - possibly sign that has been attempted to be covered over.
(if you do find traps it'd be interesting to set yourself up quietly somewhere and wait to see who comes to check them - you may want to follow them and find other traps this way)

I know its a bit grim, but are there any tiny graze / teeth marks on the bone?
might indicate if it was either a fox taking its own leg off to escape from a trap
i've read that squirrles will take calcium from bones but as far as i know they wait until the flesh is off.

i cant see any beak marks to suggest it was dropped by a crow, but maybe it's worth walking around the nearby roads to look for indications that it was a road accident?
you could phone the local vets - they may have treated the animal that was injured, or have seen similar injuries before
good luck if you decide to investigate further!
all the best

 

[Jon Mawer]

This certainly is curious! It would be fascinating (if a bit gruesome) to find out what the story is/was! I would agree that it is from a dog.

 

[thackstonii]

Looks like a bit of a dog to me, the long white guard hairs make me thing it is a rough coated dog - I can't think of any wild mammal that would fit the photo. It is hard to make the digits in the photo The whiteness of the cartilage makes me think that this is quite a fresh piece of carrion, despite the condition of the fur - which could be just due to the weather we have had resently - did you notice a smell?

As to how it got there, my labrador is notorious for picking up scraps and carrying them for miles. She often manages to completely hold them within her mouth so you don't notice until she drops it on the doormat. She has even managed to pick stuff up while on the lead with out me noticing! Was this bone on or near a human track? (Very) generally dogs normally don't wander more than 10 metres from a track.

How the limb (if it is a dog) got dismembered is a bit more concerning. It could have been a RTA or dogs of all breeds are some times stolen for training pit bull terriers, so this might have been from a dumped carcase.

All in all very interesting!

MT

 

[Big Bad Stu]

Just one out of left field. Could it have been used for occult purposes? There is a lot of it going on where I live by all accounts when speaking to those in the know. It is not unknown for these people to use domestic animals for sacrifice and other rituialistic purposes.

A bit wierd I know but it is a possibility.

Stewey.

 

[dwardo]

If it is a dogs paw i would go for the possibility of somone burying their poor pooch after death and some other animal such as a fox diging it up.

Your should get all CSI on it lol there must be some marks on the bone

 

[Thrym]

whilst on the subject of gruesome discoverys the other day whilst walking through the woods i came across two squirrels with no fur floating in a watertrough any explainations i went back two days later to take pictures but they were gone i also found a dead fox about 50 metres away in a different field but that might just be coincidence

 

[Mikey P]

whilst on the subject of gruesome discoverys the other day whilst walking through the woods i came across two squirrels with no fur floating in a watertrough any explainations i went back two days later to take pictures but they were gone i also found a dead fox about 50 metres away in a different field but that might just be coincidence

Have you seen 'The Village'? Creepy...