Mystery creature bites, claws family's SUV

I definitely did not think of an animal first... the damage looks too familiar. My last car took a severe beating, fence post through the door, gold club to the driver side door, various things thrown at it...

At one of my first jobs I barely touched a pontiac vibe and it dented considerably, cars arent as strong as you think people! Its not like it takes a rhino to ruin them

The 'paw prints' (which I couldnt even tell were prints) could easily have been added after... maybe the human culprit added them to avert suspicion. Motivation: their accents makes me cringe

reply to post by Evasius


I just thought of something odd in this whole story.......if this vehicle was parked in the driveway, how could these people not have heard anything while all this damage was being done?

I wonder if there are any hit and run reports in the area for that day?!!!!!

3 things suggest this was the work of a person in my mind:

1. No noise was heard. Bears, mountain lions and wolves would have made growling and snarling noises as they bit into or attacked the car.

2. Claw-like marks and scratches could have EASILY been made by knives or other sharp implements.

The scratches on the SUV don't seem uniform or equally spaced apart to suggest they resulted from an animal's claws.

3. Grizzlies, Kodiaks, Black bears, and even ordinary Timber wolves aren't native to that region.

Probably bear or dog they may have hit a little critter or one was chased into the grill.

I am going to call hoax on this one. My tacking skills say that there are no uniform teeth marks and no marks where it was chewed. The scratches weren't caused by any animal claw or tooth, unless it only had one claw or tooth. There are no incisions by canine teeth or uniform spacing to indicate animal teeth. Looking at the hole especially where the light was shows even breakage and an apparent square hole. There are no slide marks from the supposed tooth trying to gain purchase, and the claw marks start deep and go shallow where a real claw in a surface such as this would start shaloow and go deep as it gained purchase.

my two cents

respectfully

reluctantpawn

coyotes have been "introduced " to our area by the wildlife department. they were not native to this area but now travel in packs all around cental and eastern NC. My friends cat was ripped apart while she watched helplessly by some of these animals. That would be my guess as to the cause.

Well I would say that although it appears strange that no one heard anything on the night the damage was allegedly caused, it may not be the case that there was nothing to hear. I mean the amount of times a man can be stabbed or shot at night, and have NO ONE hear thier last desperate cries for aid is staggering. Not so suprising then, that no one heard anything outside this car owners house. What ever caused that didnt happen quietly of course, but it doesnt follow that someone would definitly have heard something. I live directly above the shop I work in, and if I was asleep in my room, I wouldnt wake up unless someone broke a shop window or really smashed the door off its hinges somehow, I would probably be completely oblivious ! The last time someone tried crowbaring the back door (thick pine with 2mm steel plate overlay) I didnt know a thing about it till the morning after, and that must have been pretty noisy. Certainly not the average night sounds of suburban Britain.

reply to post by mikellmikell

Thats what i was thinking, maybe it was after some road kill in the engine area or like you say chased something under car etc.

I lived for a few years in Fairfield PA and come face to face with a few black bears and I have to say that could easily be done by a black bear.

It is spring time and they are coming out of hibernation and VERY hungry. If there was any food in the car that is all that is needed to trigger a black bears attention.

It could have been a Mother and her cubs, the cubs would explain the smaller paw prints. Just my gut feeling.

[edit on 6-4-2009 by jwstarry]

It wasn't me. I swear! I was at home, uh, Cleaning.

Black bears could have easily done it? They are so non-aggressive and afraid of people. I cant imagine one attacking a car either. Ive seen them have trouble going through a cooler... let alone metal.

And does anyone else think the family is wayyy too happy for what happened? I mean maybe theyre just happy to be on tv... but I think theyre covering something up. Like maybe they crashed and didnt want insurance to go up.
If some 'animal' actually silently DESTROYED a car I would be pretty scared... the little kid would be wetting himself!

reply to post by network dude

HELPLESS I would have ran out and saved my kitty!

First off, why would an animal attack and tear apart a light housing??
Perhaps the cat that made the prints on the hood had been hiding behind the bumper and the larger "animal" smelled it.
Personally, I think the whole story smells.

Originally posted by ModernAcademia
this was obviously the work of Wolverine!

He's angry his movie leaked

yes hahahhahahhaha nice one

Originally posted by wayno
First off, why would an animal attack and tear apart a light housing??
Perhaps the cat that made the prints on the hood had been hiding behind the bumper and the larger "animal" smelled it.
Personally, I think the whole story smells.

I like this idea ^


what about a Beaver? could it do that kind of damage?

Most likely a black bear.

Im putting blame on a bear. NC is full of them and I really dont see to many other animals doing that kind of damage. My question is what was in the car that the bear would want.....

Originally posted by Evasius
I wonder if the vehicle had some sort of scent on it, or inside, that attracted whatever it was...a leaky pack of steaks from a prior grocery trip, or forgotten leftovers in the backseat after a Saturday night at Applebees?

Or maybe it really, really hated General Motors and considered the puny Saturn easy pickings.

That'll teach'm for leaven the Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket in the car.

They may have run over an animal on the road and the scent was left on the vehicle, attracting a bear. The only animal I know that can leave claw marks on a car like that one photo shows is a bear. I've seen where they have clawed right through the walls of homes. I've seen where they have tried to claw their way into steel dumpsters.

My call is a bear, and the foot prints on the hood are from an animal the bear was trying to attack.

Obviously a really big and powerful dog after a tasty cat that took refuge in the engine compartment. Proly something like a mastiff or big pit bull, and he a little pissed the cat out smarted him.

Originally posted by Optix

Originally posted by wayno
First off, why would an animal attack and tear apart a light housing??
Perhaps the cat that made the prints on the hood had been hiding behind the bumper and the larger "animal" smelled it.
Personally, I think the whole story smells.

I like this idea ^


what about a Beaver? could it do that kind of damage?

Yeah a rabid beaver on regular steroid injections...

I have see fiberglass cages that were destroyed by pit bulls.

But something doesn't sound right about this incident..