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Original poster

Is it illegal to kill a wild animal at work?

444 replies

SilverDoe · 27/01/2022 09:57

Posting for traffic. Is illegal/possible to pursue for animal cruelty if someone kills a wild animal in their work place?

I have been googling but I can only find information really regarding livestock and pets.

OP posts:
SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 27/01/2022 13:54

How do you know?
I promise I'm not being arsey but I was accused of some wild things when I worked in retail and hospitality so unless you've seen the dead bird or saw him kill it, Id be dubious that it's actually dead...

Icouldabeenalawyer · 27/01/2022 13:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FurryAntiWaxer · 27/01/2022 13:55

I'm so invested in this crazy thread.

Will the hammer drop with the op revealing some actual evidence against the hapless manager?

Or will those of us able to separate evidence of a crime from the seriousness of the accusation he left hanging forever?

He probably did kill the bird, but a second hand report of a shouty lady accusing him in public is hardly proof. Even if the bird vanished, he could (in theory) have been relocated, or terminated.by a proper person. Perhaps the shouty lady thinks the manager has blood on his hands for having the bird terminated, even if it was done by an operator. Her evidence could be seeing a nuisance bird van parked outside the shop before the bird vanished.

Original poster
SilverDoe · 27/01/2022 13:58

But he's gone? He was there all the time, my partner has been to the shop, the school and the pharmacy today and the little guy is no longer there :(

Okay, maybe I can hope that he is alive and well, the lady is delusional and the manager didn't deny anything because he was just grey rocking her or whatever. I'm not being sarcastic, maybe that is the line I should take.

I'll be thoroughly embarrassed in an hour or so if he is seen at school pickup, but I will take that over him being dead! You can imagine though that the sudden absence of magpie coupled with the witnessed accusations of magpie murder means that we are pretty convinced of his demise though.

OP posts:
Lady089 · 27/01/2022 13:59

@Inspectorslack

But neither you nor your partner know exactly what happened?

And if the bird was coming in to the shop it was shitting everywhere and potentially spreading disease.

Those pesky humans birds spreading disease and shit everywhere hey…
Figgygal · 27/01/2022 13:59

I cannot believe the responses on here she is only asking a question and intends to establish whats happened

If it is accepted that he did kill it as he perceived it a nuisance what if the animal concerned had been a stray cat? Or is it only ok because its a bird.

If he did kill an innocent animal at work and the local community becomes outraged that is relevant to his conduct in his employment and complaints should be taken seriously. I would want to know if someone had behaved in that way while executing their duties representing my business

wombat1a · 27/01/2022 14:00

If the magpie was regularly visiting the shop then the manager really has no choice but to try to exclude the bird. A wild bird hopping into a food shop because it likes people will cause the food hygiene people to have a fit. I would imagine the 'poor' manager has tried a number of methods already to keep the birsh out which have obviously failed (if he did try) and so was left with the final option.

Blame it on people socialising the magpie too much and the licensing laws in this country over food supply.

Original poster
SilverDoe · 27/01/2022 14:02

Her evidence could be seeing a nuisance bird van parked outside the shop before the bird vanished damn this could be true.

I would still feel so sad and awful to be honest, but of course I would have no grounds for complaint. It's a shame that is the case though, especially when we are privileged to have several rescue options around us. If the bird was so tame to its own detriment I imagine it would have done really well at a wild animal rescue, and I just keep thinking that they live so long, he could have had a happy life ahead of him :(

Hell I would have captured him and taken him to one of the centres, had I known that they had planned to have him killed. I have taken several animals to them in the past including a semi squashed hedgehog who turned out to be fine after he recovered.

OP posts:
Inspectorslack · 27/01/2022 14:03

What if it decided to fly away?

What if it is dead but the manager didn’t kill it?

What if the manager found it dead?

So many questions.

Thebestwaytoscareatory · 27/01/2022 14:03

Obviously I did not see with my own eyes someone killing the bird. But it is honestly so clear that the bird has been killed, it's actually boggling my mind how hard some people are finding this to believe. I have stated many times a pretty clear version of events as to what has happened.

People aren't disbelieving the bird has been killed. They are pointing out you have no idea how, when, why, or by whom the bird was killed but have concocted a story in your head and made a complaint based on an overheard conversation.

Maybe the store manager did kill it himself. You seem to have decided he stomped or strangled it for fun, which might be true. Equally, a staff member might have been trying to remove it from the store and killed it by mistake. Maybe it was already injured and dying in the shop and was put out its misery. Maybe staff or the manager threw some food out on the street/road to get away and it was hit by a passing car. Or maybe the manager reported the bird causing a nuisance weeks/months ago to head office who then sent a pest control company to kill it.

All those scenarios could have resulted in shouty woman shouting about how the manager killed the bird but only one scenario is in anyway complaint worthy. You really should establish facts before wasting peoples time and potentially causing issues.

Icouldabeenalawyer · 27/01/2022 14:04

Just with Google etc turning up no answers, that'd be my suggestion to give them a call.

Inspectorslack · 27/01/2022 14:04

How do you know how old a wild magpie is?

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 27/01/2022 14:04

I'm not a big fan of magpies but this has made me quite sad.

I don't think there's any excuse to kill it, there's other ways of keeping a bird out your shop

Lady089 · 27/01/2022 14:07

@SilverDoe

Her evidence could be seeing a nuisance bird van parked outside the shop before the bird vanished damn this could be true.

I would still feel so sad and awful to be honest, but of course I would have no grounds for complaint. It's a shame that is the case though, especially when we are privileged to have several rescue options around us. If the bird was so tame to its own detriment I imagine it would have done really well at a wild animal rescue, and I just keep thinking that they live so long, he could have had a happy life ahead of him :(

Hell I would have captured him and taken him to one of the centres, had I known that they had planned to have him killed. I have taken several animals to them in the past including a semi squashed hedgehog who turned out to be fine after he recovered.

I think your responses are what distinguish those with empathy (yourself) and those without. I’d hate to find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time and be killed in the process. Such simple measures could have taken place with no loss to life.
slashlover · 27/01/2022 14:09

Things I was accused of while working in retail (in a Co-op actually)

Stealing someone's purse
Deliberately short changing someone
Deliberately poisoning someone
Not wanting to serve customers because I was lying about a break in
Selling someone's 11 year old alcohol
Being racist because I wouldn't let someone enter the shop

None of these things were even remotely true but if someone had overheard the conversation and automatically believed the customer then I could have been in trouble. If someone had come in at the end of the conversation then they may have missed my denials because there's only so many times I can say that something didn't happen before it's easier to just listen to the customer and let them rant themself out as denial makes them angrier.

If he killed the magpie violently and for no reason then that's obviously terrible but the point is we have no proof.

Original poster
SilverDoe · 27/01/2022 14:12

@Inspectorslack

How do you know how old a wild magpie is?
He had a youthful spark in his eye
OP posts:
Soubriquet · 27/01/2022 14:12

“He had a youthful spark in his eye”

Hmm

Jesus fucking Christ

KittensTeaAndCake · 27/01/2022 14:13

OP, I'd ignore the people obviously looking for a fight. I agree with PPs who have suggested talking to the lady at the school and then reporting to the RSPB as a suspected wildlife crime.

^this.

I'm sorry OP, it must be very upsetting. What a bastard if he has killed the poor thing 🤬

Inspectorslack · 27/01/2022 14:13

He had a youthful spark in his eye

Only one eye? Was he in a fight?

Moonmelodies · 27/01/2022 14:15

@SliceOfCakeCupOfTea

Can I just check...do you know for sure that this bird is even dead?
Perhaps it was resting. Lovely plumage, the magpie.
Original poster
SilverDoe · 27/01/2022 14:18

Okay just a few things as I have gotten literally no work done today.

@Lady089 thank you, and that's ultimately what I'm so upset about, a complete lack of compassion where it would have been very low effort to have some.

@Soubriquet that was a joke, Jaysus!

The poster who lists all the possible ways he could have kicked it - this is true. I am hoping that there will be answers when my DP does the school run. Who knows though.

OP posts:
SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 27/01/2022 14:22

I'm waiting for the update once your DH has spoken to the guy.
I honestly hope that you're wrong OP and one of the many other explanations is right...

derxa · 27/01/2022 14:27

He had a youthful spark in his eye Aye right Wink

KissedintheDark · 27/01/2022 14:39

[quote PossiblyDreaming]@KissedintheDark the RSPB wouldn’t have acted because they are a conservation charity with no authority to act in cases of animal cruelty. You need to contact either the police or the RSPCA if animal cruelty is happening. Reporting cruelty to birds to the RSPB is like reporting someone with a broken leg on a footpath to the National Trust.[/quote]
I didn't expect the RSPB to act, I asked them about the law which they were are on the ball about and which was later confirmed by RSPCA.
In the case I reported it's ok to use wild caught caged magpies to entice other magpies down to the ground where they're killed apparently.

nokidshere · 27/01/2022 14:54

If a magpie is there this afternoon how will you determine if it's the same one or not?