To think this driver was an arsehole? *animal cruelty*

ElTortilla · 2024-07-13T15:16:34+00:00

A bunch of seagulls gathered in the road to fight over a piece of food. A driver drove straight into them and killed one of them. It really upset me. Aibu to think the driver was an arsehole?

Original poster

ElTortilla · 13/07/2024 16:17

On and the car was driving fairly slowly as it was coming to lights anyway. Nothing immediately behind it preventing it from stopping.

OP posts:

mooncloud1 · 13/07/2024 16:18

Of course they were, what a twat. They are probably the sort of person who puts food in the road to watch wildlife get run over. That would upset me as well 😔

AFmammaG · 13/07/2024 16:20

I wonder if they thought they would fly off when they got close? How do you know they killed them on purpose? You just said they were going slowly.

JohnTheRevelator · 13/07/2024 16:42

Oh bloody hell. I'm not fan of seagulls but that would have really upset me. What an arsehole.

nocoolnamesleft · 13/07/2024 16:43

If they were driving slowly, I would have thought they presumed that the seagull would fly out of the way, like birds in the road usually do.

LessOnslowmoreHyacinth · 13/07/2024 17:41

Why do you even need to ask this?

Do you think anyone is going to come along and say "no, they are a lovely person"?

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 13/07/2024 17:50

Obviously the driver was totally unreasonable. I am not sure really why you even needed to ask. Maybe it’s more that you were just looking to discuss it as it upset you. Rather than actually asking if he was unreasonable.

I found reading this quite upsetting. No warning that it was about the death of an animal. I wonder if you might get some sort of warning added to your title. Or even ask for the thread to be deleted if it is serving no useful purpose.

beeloubee · 13/07/2024 18:08

What a prick

Original poster

ElTortilla · 13/07/2024 19:39

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 13/07/2024 17:50

Obviously the driver was totally unreasonable. I am not sure really why you even needed to ask. Maybe it’s more that you were just looking to discuss it as it upset you. Rather than actually asking if he was unreasonable.

I found reading this quite upsetting. No warning that it was about the death of an animal. I wonder if you might get some sort of warning added to your title. Or even ask for the thread to be deleted if it is serving no useful purpose.

Sorry, I will put a warning on the title if I can.

OP posts:

Original poster

ElTortilla · 13/07/2024 19:54

I think he thought the birds would move. All did apart from the poor bird who didn't. I don't understand why he wouldn't make sure they all moved as he approached them. I made sure the bird was properly dead and not suffering. I'm rather fond of seagulls.

OP posts:

AFmammaG · 13/07/2024 20:04

Been waiting for you to update. How did you imagine they would make sure it had moved? By getting out of the car? You can’t always see once you are up close. Surely stopping the car and getting out would be dangerous? Did the driver even realise one didn’t move? Or was run over?
I saw a pigeon run over once because it didn’t move, yes it was upsetting but there was nothing to suggest the driver did it on purpose and it might have caused an accident for the driver to have stopped without warning or to get out of the car.

ageratum1 · 13/07/2024 20:23

He did nothing wrong.Birds usually move.It is dangerous to swerve or brake suddenly for wildlife.Don't do it!

Sirzy · 13/07/2024 20:27

nocoolnamesleft · 13/07/2024 16:43

If they were driving slowly, I would have thought they presumed that the seagull would fly out of the way, like birds in the road usually do.

They don’t always move sadly, I had one today that didn’t - thankfully it was a very quiet, straight residential road so I could safely drive around it. Sometimes that’s not an option though.

blackrabbitwhiterabbit · 13/07/2024 20:28

Hope none of you eat meat or you're in for a surprise!

PumpkinPie2016 · 13/07/2024 20:33

Of course it isn't nice to deliberately kill any animal. That said, sadly, people shouldn't brake very sharply/swerve to avoid as it can cause more serious accidents.

I do wonder, given he was going slowly, if he thought they would fly off - they usually do in fairness. He may not have done it on purpose.

I once killed a pigeon in my car. Going along, traffic behind me and on the other side of the road. I saw it but I had no where to go and I honestly thought it would fly off as that's what had always happened. It didn't and I killed it 😥😥 I felt absolutely awful - I was only 18 and hadn't been driving long but I genuinely didn't do it on purpose.

luckylavender · 13/07/2024 20:35

If we had to stop for a seagull in Brighton everytime one came into our path the City would come to a standstill. They always fly off.

HeapsOfStuff · 13/07/2024 20:42

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at OP's request.

User3962 · 13/07/2024 20:45

yeah arsehole, but there’s a lot more cruelty in eating meat and dairy, wearing leather etc.

Saschka · 13/07/2024 20:48

nocoolnamesleft · 13/07/2024 16:43

If they were driving slowly, I would have thought they presumed that the seagull would fly out of the way, like birds in the road usually do.

I agree - I probably wouldn’t have slowed down either as I’d just expect it to fly off, I’d be horrified to find I’d hit one.

I grew up somewhere with a lot of seagulls and pigeons, and have never not known them fly away. Pheasants on the other hand are fucking stupid creatures who actively seek out car wheels to hurl themselves under, I’d stop if I saw one of them in the road.

Cottagecheeseisnotcheese · 13/07/2024 21:23

pheasants most definitely have a death wish, I would always stop or swerve if possible but I wouldn't drive into another car or the ditch or a tree to avoid an animal and despite driving for 30 years on rural country roads only ever hit a pheasant once. Occasionally it can't be helped but this driver was out of order