Wild animal leaving awful reek in rug (7)
I believe the answer is:
meerkat
'wild animal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'awful reek in rug' is the wordplay.
'awful' indicates anagramming the letters.
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'rug' becomes 'mat' (both are floor coverings).
'reek' anagrammed gives 'eerk'.
'eerk' inserted into 'mat' is 'MEERKAT'.
'leaving' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for meerkat that I've seen before include "South African mammal" , "Mongoose-like animal" , "African mongoose often on two feet" , "South African native" , "Mongoose-like mongoose" .)