otter ?

[hwange]

hi all ,
i live close to the river trent ,the other day i noticed a dead swan in the water by the bank . This morning something had hauled the carcass of the swan upon the bank and eaten most of it ,certainly all into its rib cage . I konw there are otters in the vicinity ,was wondering if an otter may be responsible for this ?My wife thinks it was a fox what done it .....
cheers .

[The Woodman]

Fox most likely, they're great scavengers of the riverbank.

Is there any mud near the carcass that might give clues in the form of prints?

[vole-woman]

Would a fox (or otter) tackle a full grown healthy swan? I always had swans down as too aggressive.

[The Woodman]

I took it that when first seen, the Swan was already deceased and subsequently got eaten.

The only time I've seen the evidence of a Swan killed by a fox was one that was frozen into the surface of a lake. I wouldn't think a Fox would attack a fully grown healthy Swan.

[wildplacesne]

It would be very unusual for a Fox to tackle a healthy adult Swan, and Otters aren't scavengers by nature, unless fresh food is in short supply, or the animal can't hunt properly for some reason.
If the Swan was already dead, it would probably be a Fox, or Badger that dragged the carcass up the bank and ate some of it.
As woodman says, are there any prints at the waters edge? Also Foxes will often leave droppings on or near a carcass, and you can sometimes smell that they've peed on it too.

Kenny

[hwange]

cheers all , yes it would appear that old reynard is the culprit . Just seen a fox on the carcass . They never cease to fascinate me , true opportunists .Thanks for the info
glyn