Badger or fox?

[Muddyroads]

Getting fed up of finding these over the last couple of weeks. I’ve a fair idea of the cause, but would welcome opinions:

 

[Lofty1984]

Ask Chris packham to clarify it for you after all he’d a wild life expert maybe tweet him a few pictures

 

[Muddyroads]

Might just try to find a way to do that, perhaps tag Brian May in as well?

 

[hendrebc]

Badger.
They are worse than foxes when they start no lamb is safe from them
Even worse all you can do about them is hope it gets run over on the road one night

 

[Muddyroads]

Anecdotally I know that lamb brains are considered a delicacy for badgers, but I wonder if it’s ever been proven?

 

[Cvx1170]

I've got seagulls doing it, 2 big cnuts hunting in pairs

 

[hendrebc]

I've got seagulls doing it, 2 big cnuts hunting in pairsView attachment 784306

sh!t ive never seen a seagull doing it. There's a good flock of them here but so far no problems. Would they be the black backed ones? I'm sure @Al R has said he gets problems with those
I think you can shoot them though which is something.

 

[Kevtherev]

Getting fed up of finding these over the last couple of weeks. I’ve a fair idea of the cause, but would welcome opinions:View attachment 784244 View attachment 784246 View attachment 784250 View attachment 784256

Typical fox taking the ears or head.
Bite marks on neck usually.

 

[Cranman]

The wounds are so localised, I would put my money on beaks rather than teeth, are you in an area with ravens?

 

[Landy Nick]

Any Ravens in your area.

 

[hendrebc]

Nose chewed off is a sure sign of badgers. Agree with kev foxes taking the ears bit I don't know about smashing it's skull to get inside it. Foxes are a bit too civilised for that. Ravens can't get inside the skull either seen plenty of raven kills
They look exactly like @Cvx1170 pictures

 

[Kevtherev]

Ravens take eyes and tongues and pull navels and arses out horrid fecking things.

 

[Gone Shooting]

Wish we were closer - stakeout with thermal - do you know any fox shooters with night vision ?

 

[Dages]

Bager

 

[tinsheet]

My experience, foxes take lambs ie their gone!
Anything else there's a carcass.

 

[Dry Rot]

Typical fox taking the ears or head.
Bite marks on neck usually.

Yes, foxes seem to like ears and tails, but the head crunch is unfamiliar to me as badgers are new here

Nose chewed off is a sure sign of badgers. Agree with kev foxes taking the ears bit I don't know about smashing it's skull to get inside it. Foxes are a bit too civilised for that. Ravens can't get inside the skull either seen plenty of raven kills
They look exactly like @Cvx1170 pictures

I'd agree with that.

My experience, foxes take lambs ie their gone!
Anything else there's a carcass.

Up here in the north, foxes will cut a lamb in half to carry part away. The cut will be as clean as a surgeon's knife. They will also attack a ewe with a hung lamb, entering through soft tissue at the backside or behind a front leg.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

It wouldn’t be so hard to bear if the predators were hungry and actually ate the lamb, but it seems they kill them just for a taste and leave it like a perfect ready meal for scavengers.

Mother Nature is a cruel mistress at times.

 

[Agrivator]

Bager

Or fx

or even carron crw.

 

[Bald Rick]

Beast of Exmoor without a doubt

 

[matthew]

The initial wounds look like peck marks to me. So corvids of some type. Leaving a dead lamb for another verminous scavenger.
Badgers have massive strong jaws and I would think unlikely to dive into the eyes like that. The jaw is a different matter.