To think kids should not chase pigeons

[greentreesdream]

I’m aware miserable bastard of the year award might belong to me but it pisses me off when I’m quietly making my way through a town or city centre and a flock of alarmed pigeons come flying towards me at eye-level.

There’s also something horribly aggressive in kids who stamp at them.

AIBU / miserable or do others agree it’s a bit of a shitty thing to do?

@Alsohuman

Shooing away pigeons that are trying to eat your sandwich is fine

What’s the difference?

Because you are not doing it for fun. It’s the enjoyment in tormenting an animal that is the problem.

What’s the difference?

Animal-human interaction is a borderline. It changes depending how much the animal or human impacts and damages, or helps, the other. A child chasing pigeons for fun damages the animal and provides no benefit for the human - (apart from a childish cruel fun). An animal pestering for a human meal impacts negatively on the human. Pigeons in cities are often vermin, but that doesn’t mean they should be treated with wanton cruelty.

^^ This. Wanton cruelty should always be discouraged, IMO.

I quite like pigeons, my dad had racing pigeons years ago and I had a couple of white fan tails, I know lots of people don't like them but there's no need for cruelty, in our town centre we have a lot of beggars who harrass shoppers, leave dirty needles all over the place, shoot up in public toilets and shit vomit and pee alover and fall over drunk, I know I'll probably get flamed for this and they do it because they're addicts but that's their choice, no one asks them to take drugs, they know they're addictive and cost lots of money that they don't have so they beg for money so someone else can feed their habit, they're a nuisance but that's just my opinion, I just prefer the pigeons.

Yabnu. Chasing pigeons is not just something kids do. You could say that if all kinds of stuff that we teach them is not a good idea. My son was brought up to be kind and not chase animals for fun or hurt them - including insects! He was horrified when some of his school friends were cruel to insects and proceeded to explain how it wasn’t nice and how would they feel. Teaching empathy to kids is hugely important.

"towel over it to capture. put in a box and drive out & free in nearby forest smile works well" Beethecrackon24995.
Did the equivalent of this with a mouse, after I'd googled 'humane traps'. No, they were not humane, far from it. Put a set of steps leading to bin, kitchen roll cardboard tube leading from steps with peanut butter at end: mouse climbs the steps to get to the peanut butter, drops into empty bin, and is driven several miles by [embarrassed husband] to be released into open countryside.

Also, mouse looked very embarrassed :-)

Yep, it's horrible, entitled behaviour and teaches children that animals can be used and abused for their own amusement. Makes me very angry when I see parents apparently allowing this.

somm . yes, it does work. i learnt it from a tv wildlife rescue programme. worked twice with a mouse. no idea if it would work with a rat but would certainly give it a try. the towel disorientates it. scoop up the towel and put in a large plastic box (with holes in the side) with a lid. worked wonders and we have a forest literally at the end of our street that has plenty of rats/mice etc.

I think the use of vermin should only be used for those people who flocked (ah) to the beaches, defecting, leaving rubbish, Fighting and not caring that there’s currently a pandemic going on right now.

use of the word

This is a good read about the feral pigeon. Take a moment to read and think about it, especially for those harping on about ‘spread disease’ etc www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/feral-pigeon-flying-rat-or-urban-hero/

And I defecating not defecting in my earlier post

@LucyLikesDiamonds

I think the use of vermin should only be used for those people who flocked (ah) to the beaches, defecting, leaving rubbish, Fighting and not caring that there’s currently a pandemic going on right now.

In which case you’d benefit from five minutes with a dictionary as you don’t appear to understand the meaning of the word.

@Alsohuman 5 minutes! Ok, found this meaning in seconds ...

Vermin - people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society

I have to really shamefully admit that I never stopped my dc doing this They're only 4 and 2yo but liked running after pigeons and I never stopped them. I'm against animal cruelty but just never saw this as being cruel - until march this year and we went to the zoo. Dc were chasing them across a patch of grass and I got very loudly told off by a zoo keeper for allowing them to. I was so ashamed and very apologetic and now would never dream of letting them do it again. I'm glad she spoke up and I think more people should if they see something like this that they dont agree with.

To add... I just genuinely never considered it was distressing to them. Stupid, I know

[quote LucyLikesDiamonds]@Alsohuman 5 minutes! Ok, found this meaning in seconds ...

Vermin - people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society [/quote]
It’s not the real one, is it?

*The term "vermin" is used to refer to a wide scope of organisms, including rodents, cockroaches, termites, bed bugs,[4] mosquitoes, ferrets, stoats, sables, rats, and occasionally foxes.

Historically, in the 16th and 17th century, the expression also became used as a derogatory term associated with groups of persons typically plagued by vermin, namely beggars and vagabonds, and more generally the poor.*

Glad to see so many supporters of 'it teaches respect to all creatures in general, to not be cruel'.

If we don't look after nature, nature won't look after us.

I wouldn't dream of telling off someone's child for doing this; I would hope it was down to the parents. I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't usually eat meat. None of our rescue dogs have ever been let off a lead unless it was completely save for everything around them. I do have other people's 'cats shitting in my garden' all the time.

I also have leather clothing and furniture, but I would move away from that now when they're replaced. But I'm not sure how using animal products can be equated to cruelty to living creatures by children.