Two dead moles

[woolybanana]

This afternoon I found the bodies of two dead moles on the lawn, not apparently bitten as if by a dog which is basically too slow to catch them.

Never seen two together as they are solitary.

Anybody got any ideas as to what might have done for them and why now, summer, drought?

SVP.

[andyh4]

Cat?

Ours occasionally leave a mole body sitting in the garden. Unlike with mice they don't seem to try and eat the cadaver. On one we found a pierce hole through the skull - presumably with a canine tooth (or should that be feline?) Otherwise we have found no obvious cause of damage, but had earlier seen the culprits with the victim in their mouths.

[woolybanana]

Thanks, Andy. Cat seems the obvious answer but how did it get two together - they were left within a foot of each other.

Presumably they were close to the surface because of hunger. The ground is rock hard.

The lawn and some of my beds have been wrecked by the little ruggers so I am not sad to see them go but hoped they would have decamped following my gas campaign.

[Hoddy]

How long is it since it rained in your neck of the woods ? Sometimes the ground gets too hard for them to dig.

[woolybanana]

A good shower a couple of days ago, but is all since the last shower weeks ago.

I was pulling up some bamboo runners yesterday and the ground at the surface was just dust and, deeper, like rock, so you could be right, Hoody.

[woolybanana]

Further to the hunger theory, the bodies were found near a small household waste composter the bottom trap of which is open. Perhaps these poor moles had been ferreting through the compost to look for worms or whatever and a cat got them.

Cats only come in the garden at night because Sid Vicious would have them otherwise.

Desperation to eat something might account for them being found in such close proximity.

[Patf]

Not just food, Wooly, but water.

It's nearly as dry here in the UK.

[YCCMB]

..or even possibly drier! Certainly our bit of SE England has had a lot less rain than our bit of France.

[woolybanana]

There is a third one but only one hill, which has earned it a thorough gassing, not to kill, just to say b ugger off.