To think allowing your dc to chase ducks / birds is just wrong

[Fairylea]

Just come back from a visit to the nearby pond to feed the ducks with my family. Ds and dd were enjoying throwing some duck seed and looking at them.

Along came 2 boys of a similar age to my dd (9) with their mum who proceeded to run at our gathering of ducks and frighten the life out of them. Effectively enjoying making them run away and scaring them. The mum looked bemused until she saw me glare at her and then she half heartedly said to the boys "oh don't do that, that family is feeding them".

Now yes some might say they are just ducks, does it matter etc. But I've seen so many dc do this recently (we visit the pond a lot) and parents seem to think it's some kind of acceptable game. It's cruel and unnecessary. Feed the ducks or birds ffs don't bloody chase them!

I admit it's perhaps rather petty but I think it's so wrong to teach children to take delight in scaring animals even if it is just chasing them.

Rant over. And breathe.

No idea if I'm being unreasonable or not. Surely I can't be the only one who feels like this?

To be fair as long as the children are having fun does it matter? Maybe the ducks like a bit of an adrenaline rush?

We fed the ducks seed which we brought from a pet food supplier. I know you're not supposed to feed them bread.

I'm surprised some people think it's a "non issue". For me it isn't so much an animal cruelty issue (although that is a part of it) as the idea that I think it teaches children that it's ok to torment and scare living beings smaller than yourself. It's essentially bullying and condoning bullying in my opinion.

I just don't understand why parents can't teach their dc to be nice to animals from a young age rather than taking pleasure in chasing them. I also think a 8/9/10 year old chasing them has a different agenda to for example a young toddler chasing with the hope of cuddling one or whatever but even then I'd explain not to do it as it might scare them etc.

Oh well. Maybe opinions are more split than I anticipated!

It doesn't bother me. Small price to pay for relatively plentiful food, shelter & few predators from the birds' perspectives.

I hardly think chasing ducks is "tormenting" them.

Am I tormenting pigeons when I scare them off from bothering me with my sandwich?

What about when seagulls start menacing my toddler on the beach for his icecream - is it ok to torment them?

But if you run at ducks flapping your arms about and scaring them off then that is tormenting them isn't it? You don't need to do it, it's scaring them for the fun of it. And they do seem scared if you see someone do it.

YANBU at all. Why is it ok for children to chase defenceless creatures. I loathe birds, particularly pigeons and hate when they flap around me. But I don't think it's ok to run after them.

Anyone who messes with swans, or geese for that matter is a bloody idiot too and liable to get hurt.

So they all fly off for two minutes, then come back to scrounge more food. No harm done.

Really, of all the things I can bring myself to care about, irritating ducks is not one of them.

Dd1 has always been terrified of animals especially birds, she would run away from them if she saw them.

My dd2 used to chase pigeons and seagulls for fun when she was younger, but she always loved animals. However dd2 has grown up a sensitive and kind animal lover and she is now vegetarian.

Thank you those who have said Yanbu. It's nice to know I'm not alone! :)

When I was a child my nan always told us never to chase the ducks, that it was bad manners and unkind. We would stay at the little park all day, eventually one of the duck chasing lads was himself chased by a very large irate goose. My nan was a great one for "See I told you so", she did make sure the lad was ok though. This was a long time ago before wet wipes, water poured over his grazes knees and a lolly to stop him crying.

YANBU - it is bad mannered and if I ever see a child (especially one over 5 ish) I just think the child is foul and the parents are ignorant idiots - but some people seem quite proud to be so judging by this thread.

Why anyone would think it is not a big deal to cause distress to an animal is beyond me.

I am against it in principle, and certainly in older children where there is clearly "intent" but I can't get too worked up about toddlers trying to chase a pigeon for a cuddle.

Yanbu my dd told off a wee boy for doing it yesterday (she is 4)

There are plenty of other ways for a child to enjoy themselves, without chasing birds.

Also, surely it is easier to teach children not to be unkind to animals, than to teach them that some unkindness is OK, but but if you go past some arbitrary point, it becomes cruelty?

I see children running at pigeons in my local town centre all the time. Even my 4 year old hoiks up his judgy pants at that one! And no way are they trying to get a cuddle ffs. I have yet to see a toddler running towards said pigeons with wide open arms, saying 'ahhhhh'. No, they're running and shouting and quite often stamping, then laughing with their idiot indulgent Mum's.

Just as a question to anyone who condones this behaviour, where do you draw the line? Would you allow your children to run at a cat? A small dog? Because I've also seen that happen.

As far as I'm concerned animals are animals are animals and trying to scare them for fun is bloody cruel. If my 4 year-old can understand that, why can't adults?

YANBU, and if a bird was pissed off enough and scratched or pecked a child I'm sure the parents wouldn't be pleased. Mind you, might teach the child that its not a good idea to do it.

I've seen swans going for older children who run at them, they are the ones who end up running off screaming with the parent complaining or bitching. And I've seen older ones trying to run and kick or stamp at the ducks, which is pure cruelty. The little ones seem to be doing it more to scare, but it wouldn't surprise me to see a young one kicking at some point.

well done to your children - witch and heart

I chased pigeons when I was younger and I certainly did not end up becoming a bully at school! I'm also not an animal abuser and nor do I condone any kind of animal abuse. Infact I think I'm quite a gentle person when it comes to animals.

Chasing birds isn't abuse. Locking them up in cages in houses, feeding them from a bowl and not letting them fly is abuse IMO, but people still keep birds as pets.

One could say taking chicken's eggs is animal abuse too because you're stealing their babies.

Like cloverer said, this is a non issue, unless you're disturbing other people and hurting the animals by torture.

Why isn't chasing birds mean Fakebook?

I hate this - how hard is it to say "Don't do that - you're scaring that bird and that's not nice." It's that start of teaching respect. The child might not mean to be cruel - well, it's your job to start that conversation (although obviously not using 'cruel' or accusing them of that).
There's a big difference between scaring a bird off because you want to get from A to B (in which case the bird flies up once and comes down again) and running at the bird repeatedly, causing it to take off repeatedly, just because you think it's funny. And I don't think kids should be indulged in learning it's fun to scare something that can't really defend itself.

I used to work in a zoo where we had a type of small goose that was free-ranging. most people liked to see them, and it was good for the geese. They nested well and although out and about in the grounds they weren't wild, they were part of our collection. There were multiple notices about not chasing them and yet you often saw kids doing just that while parents smiled indulgently. These birds couldn't fly (to stop them leaving the zoo) so weren't going anywhere and could only waddle away. It made me really angry to watch people watching their children chasing the geese and I had no compunction in telling off any children I saw doing it. Those geese very occasionally got to a point where they bit - sorry, no sympathy.
I'll bet these kids are also allowed to chase ducks, they then come into a zoo and simply see more 'ducks'.

Really, how much time does it take to say "Stop that - it's unkind?"

Fakebook - taking eggs isn't taking a chickens babies. Hens lay eggs regularly. Unless there is a cock available (:) !) the egg won't be fertilised. It's just a "chicken period"!

There is a whole debate over eating eggs etc from a vegan point of view as in using anything from animals e.g. eggs or honey is still using animals for our own benefit. And I can see their point. However I was vegan for 12 years and drove myself near crazy trying to avoid everything and ended up going full circle and now I eat meat again. But I do try and shop ethically where possible and I certainly think such an avoidable exercise as chasing ducks or birds for the sake of it shouldn't be done.

YANBU. Taunting or scaring animals for fun is a pretty grim type of entertainment.

Marsh that made me

"chicken period" needs a nausea smiley.
"chicken ovulation", if anything.

This is the one thing I get irrationally fucking angry about.