I am disturbed by this. We have horses, about 30 miles southeast of him. They found it in the pasture, all ripped up. They assume mountain lion, and I don’t know what else would have done it. Creepy.
Wow. I had a mini who was sick and elderly killed by coyotes (best guess). My sympathies to your friend.
StG
Just plain old dogs can do a lot of damage. What makes y’all think Puma?
I just asked him. Apparently there was one 6" wide bite to the throat, the horse was able to get away, and then bled out. They have wildlife conservation people out there now.
The conservation people think a mountain lion is the most likely culprit, but don’t know for sure. There have been confirmed sightings in surrounding counties (to be confirmed, it has to be caught on camera) but none in that county, I think.
Really sorry to read this. I cried myself sick when I lost my horse … and all I did was put him in the new owner’s trailer.
Really, really sorry.
I’m surprised a mountain lion would take on a full sized horse when there is easier game like rabbits.
What part of Missouri is this?
It was a yearling, so not full-sized. Just East of Kansas City.
If you ever get a chance to get up close and personal with a mountain lion, even a stuffed one, you’ll understand a lot better. Seeing a big cat or a bear in a zoo simply does not convey well how strong they are. I once saw a bear while out hiking. It was a small bear, but physical size doesn’t make that much difference–the overwhelming impression was one of sheer, unstoppable power.
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I second (or third?) this. I encountered bears in Alaska two different times. The one I was the closest to was young and small by bear standards and still scared me witless with it’s size and strength. If the larger one had paid any attention to me (thank the forgotten gods that he didn’t), he could have have me for lunch because I would have been frozen and gibbering with fear.
Renee, I am very sorry for your friend’s loss. As a horse owner, this sickens and saddens me.
The preferred prey of mountain lions is deer, and an adult deer is a sizable animal. They are well adapted to taking down quite large animals. Killing a horse isn’t much of a challenge to a full-grown lion.
ummmm… mountain lions need to eat too don’t they???
i can understand why you feel bad for your friend
i can’t understand why strangers are picking a horse over a mountain lion
The horse is fenced in and incredibly vulnerable.
Wild horse herds have much better chances of survival. A wild herd can more easily see predators and get away. They can fight back and defend themselves.
oh, well, that makes sense
i guess being a city boy i didn’t know that, thanks
Werewolf?
The wild horse herd structure, with watchful, guarding stallions is also different than having a couple of mares and geldings in a fenced field. These horses just aren’t used to having to defend themselves. It’s sort of like expecting pomeranians to behave like wolves.
