To wish parents would stop toddlers charging after birds

[yesterdaysunshine]

I've already had a mini whinge about this but it's happened again and I'm fed up.

When a kid charges towards pigeons, they fly up en masse and seek to find somewhere else to go, which means because they don't get up very high, they are eye level with your face.

So while YOUR toddler has had the time of their life, MY toddler has had a horrible fright!

so have i

Why, oh why do people not appreciate its really anti social?

I hate seeing it, the toddler and older kids are usually not looking where they are going (understandably) and running full pelt straight at the birds who fly everywhere. It's not the end of the world of course but there really isn't any real need for kids to chase birds.

Conceded any distress is minimal for the birds and for people but it's still annoying.

Plus, I do think generally speaking encouraging kindness is a positive.

Pigeon culling is tricky, as they just breed faster to replace any culled birdy mates. Contraception is best.

I was going to say YANBU because it teaches them to treat animals like toys

but YABU for your reasoning

What, that I don't like having thirty pigeons flying in my face?

Ive never understood why these birds that will literally shit anywhere anytime NEVER shit themselves on the ones chasing them.

Yanbu.

Would be even less unreasonable if you cared about the birds as well as you and DD!

I don't think I'd be too het up about someone else's children doing it but I do always tell mine to stop because "it's not kind to scare the birds". Now they tut disapprovingly if they see others doing it and I have to chivvy them along so we don't look judgy!

No differentiation between grim pigeons and nice ducks although I think the pigeons probably deserve all to be tormented by toddlers

I hate it too. I don't want pigeons flying up in my face and it's not nice to annoy animals.

There's a thread on this in Classics, I think

I agree with you OP. It's not nice to allow a child to distress/alarm animals.

youarenotkiddingme I once saw a pigeon shit on a small child that was chasing them. All over a lovely expensive looking disney coat. I nearly pissed myself laughing.

Hate seeing kids bothering animals, probably because I was always taught to respect them. Parents just don't bother teaching their children kindness towards animal anymore, they are treated as playthings. If I had ever run at or kicked out at a bird to make it fly, I would have gotten a right telling off.

I agree re:pigeons, but sea gulls are fair game.

The single worst thing about our justice system is that it's illegal to cunt punch sea gulls.

I agree kids shouldn't be allowed to do it unchecked because it's unkind. I know a parent who lets their 5yo son actually creep up and kick them making contact because they don't like pigeons.

Saucy I fucking hate hate hate seagulls. DH keeps waffling on about wanted to move to the coast. Only if you can find a bit of coast that isn't inhabited by these bastards, mate!

I used to be a nanny and would never let the brats I cared for chase after poor innocent animals. Pisses me off when I see adults letting their offspring behave so appallingly. If I see kids doing it I have a very scary face I do at them- I growl and show my teeth- does the job!!

Chasing seagulls away is more like self-defence when they are after your chips!

I wouldn't let my DC chase birds although I also think seagulls have it coming but can I just say that I don't think the comparison with animals holds up? Sheep for example can get distressed to the point of abortion when chased. From choice they'll spend their time standing still. They're in fields, anything chasing them should be a rare occurrence.

Pigeons on the other hand basically spend their whole day escaping danger either real or perceived. Any random animal/car/human/whatever will make them fly, and unlike animals, they can fly up somewhere high and instantly feel much safer. I don't have any qualifications in pigeon psychology but I can't see that it's traumatic for them.

YANBU. My 19 year old daughter has a fear of pigeons ( and other birds) and she hates it when kids scare them so they all flutter about !

We also are not too keen on seagulls, which is a bit difficult living in a seaside town! The trouble is visitors think it is fun to feed them chips, donuts, or whatever. We locals know not to do that.Visitors soon complain when their ice creams are grabbed out of their hands. But they don't seem to take notice of the signs around the harbour saying "Please do not feed the Seagulls".

You honestly don't think it's a tad stressful for them when something much, much larger stamps near them?

I bloody hate it too OP. YANBU. I've had one skim my head before trying to escape the path of a tiny destroyer.

Also, it's mean.

I don't think there's anything wrong with children chasing birds as long as they don't physically harm them.

Yanbu OP, this has just reminded me about the time I saw my, very much unrequited, high school crush in town roughly ten years after leaving school. He tried to kick a pigeon, missed and fell on his arse.

I think both the scaring birds and the non-scaring birds communities need to come together and find some sort of compromise.

If you agree type Amen!

YANBU I hate this so much, I've even been known to shout 'stop it', but if I don't my children sure will. The worst I ever experienced was in Anna's Welsh zoo (Manor House park to everyone else), some woman was just stood there letting her 3 boys chase the blind wallaby! I was 3 days overdue at the time and it may have made me slightly more angry than usual but I really ranted at her. It did the job she gave her children a telling off and that night I went into labour

FatPanda, but it does harm them in the sense that it gives them a fright.

Would anybody let their toddler charge up to rabbits feeding in the evening or cats sunning themselves?

I always let children in my charge scare cats and other animals. I've never considered it abuse in any way.