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?

Doesn’t matter Llama

I am scared of them; I don’t want them flying in my face!

@greentreesdream totally understandable, they are huge birds and I’ve seen a fair few swoop and grab food from peoples hands, my dad was a victim a couple of years ago.

YANBU. It should be a basic aspect of parenting to teach ones children to show basic respect for animals.

The same way if you met a bear, you’d give it a wide berth.

If I was in the position of having to escape from a bear I think it’s safe to say I would be fairly distressed.

Pigeons are vermin! How? They hoover up stuff that other animals/birds have left behind, because they're clumsy at finding food for themselves. Pigeons hang around, hoping that there'll be some food left for them. Because they're clumsily hanging about, some parents seem to think it's funny encouraging their children to scare the birds, because they're viewed as 'vermin'. I have recurring families of ring-collared doves coming to my garden year after year to rear families, but outside my garden they're probably viewed as 'pigeons', and children are encouraged to kick at them.

Sorry, Llamazoom, if that's happened to you, but
"they are huge birds and I’ve seen a fair few swoop and grab food from peoples hands," - but, I've never seen a huge pigeon, and I've certainly never seen a pigeon grap food from a human. They're scared of humans, for good reason

@somm no it hasn’t happened to me, I have no issues with any birds, especially harmless timid pigeons. I don’t agree with children scaring birds or any other creatures. It’s cruel. I was sharing my experience about our local seagulls who I also have no issues with although I know lots do.

I regard city pigeons as dirty so I don’t mind children chasing them off. I wouldn’t allow anything fast, like a dog to chase them but little kids won’t catch them.

Plenty of children have an instinct to chase. I haven’t ever seen an adult teaching their child to chase a pigeon.

But I live rurally where the local butcher sells local wood pigeon breast (and venison & rabbit) so I might have a different view from some.

The council consider them vermin when we called for advice.
Disgusting things that are dropping bloody nuts in the grids and shitting everywhere.
Sitting in the eaves and fuckin cooing at 4am.
I just went up now, 3 of the fuckers. I opened the window and tried to shew them, but they sit and stare me out.
There are nails along the ledges, we didn't put them in, they still sit there, they've moved in

So why is it ok to send ‘dirty’ pigeons FLYING INTO MY FACE!?

I have a bird phobia so YANBU

Mintjulia

I grew up on rabbits stew, wood pigeons, etc.
My granny had a herb for everything cooking and medicinal.

There is a world of difference between eating pigeon pie and chasing a pigeon for fun. Are people being deliberately obtuse?

You sound a right bore. Yawn.

@Devlesko what does pigeon taste like? I imagine it to be a brown slightly greasy meat and tender.

@ToBBQorNotToBBQ

You sound a right bore. Yawn.

You find harassing animals amusing?

"what does pigeon taste like?"
Just tastes like chicken.

I hate seeing little kids chasing birds, I'll be honest and say I do usually comment loudly (since oddly the parents aren't close enough for me to identify them specifically - if they were I'd address them) that its cruel to allow children to chase animals and that their parents are irresponsible letting them. It likely doesn't do anything but if it makes one person think about it, then that's better than nothing. I did once tell a child to stop chasing some ducklings, her parents were nowhere to be seen it really is not a great lesson to be teaching kids, that animals don't deserve respect. My DM would have gone mad at me for harassing wildlife when I was that age but neither me nor my siblings ever did so I don't believe its "just something kids do" either.

Wood Pigeon breast is richer flavoured than chicken, and goes well with stronger salads like radicchio or rocket. It isn’t fatty like duck.

I can't abide cruelty to any animal, whether it is considered vermin or not. There is no way any child of mine would be allowed to do this and I do judge people who let their children scare them.

YABU

i just think it's important to let kids be kids...!

I can’t understand why people let their kids do it. I always told my kids that it frightened the birds and it was one of the ways I showed them how to be kind.

I think chasing them is cruel, when I was younger my mum would have gone mad if I had chased birds! However I’m a soft touch with animals and birds irrespective if they’re vermin or not, I’ve rescued a few injured pigeons now as there’s a pigeon sanctuary not too far from me.. not keen to let a living creature suffer

I really can't get my knickers in a twist about this. It's a bit startling / annoying for a second when they all fly towards you but I hardly think the pigeons themselves are all ending up traumatised. Pigeons are hugely adaptable and resilient, hence becoming so populous in built up areas. They're not natural city dwellers, but they've adapted to living there. And of all the things that they encounter in the day - cars, cats, dogs, those road sweeper machines, bikes, skateboarders, joggers, automatic shop doors opening and closing, etc, etc - I think encountering humans moving at various speeds is just part of the daily life to which they've adapted.

I haven't read the whole thread but have been so pleased to see so many people agreeing that it's wrong to let kids do this.

Very young children like to chase pigeons because they find it exciting to see them fly off; they don't think any further than that. It' s our job as parents to explain that they are flying away because they are scared and to teach our children not to scare animals.

So many people seem to either let their children scare pigeons - or even actively encourage it - that I always thought that I must be in a very tiny minority to think that it's wrong.