What age is ok to kill small animals?

[Barem]

Hi all,

I have a four year old son, and his father has taken him to his families cabin for the weekend.

They’ve taken some fishing nets as it’s close to the water, which I thought would be really sweet for my son to play with.

Yesterday his father told me that they’d caught a crab and he’d let my son kill it with a hammer to use as bait. I said I wasn’t too happy with this as I want him to enjoy learning about animals but not take enjoyment in killing them (at least this young).

Today he told me they’d caught a fish and killed it for the dogs to eat.

When I asked if they could catch it (it’s in a net not on a hook) and throw it back in he accused me of trying to ruin all their fun and put a downer on their day.

My son is meant to be back this morning but now father won’t tell me when he’s bringing him back.

What is everyone’s opinion on children killing animals yet? I’m a vegetarian so aware that I might be a bit more sensitive than others. But I’d have hoped that his father would at least consider/ respect my feelings on this?

Er, I don’t think it’s ever okay ?!

Horrible! It’s never ok.

That’s horrible. I don’t think it’s ever okay. There’s no need for them to be doing that at all. At that age they should be learning to respect animals - feeding the ducks, watching pigeons doing funny mating dances, feeding fish in ponds etc. Killing a crab with a hammer is terrible!

Fishing at this age is fine and I’d be happy with my DC being shown how fish are gutted and prepared for food. I wouldn’t be so happy with a crab being smashed to bits for no reason though.

Wtaf?!

I agree with PP

I’m a meat eater but killing animals for fun is completely different and awful IMO

Is he your ex?

Never!

For fun? Never.

To eat? When they are old enough and mature enough to fully understand what they are doing and have been taught how to do so in a way that prevents unnecessary suffering.

I'd be furious if someone let my 4 year old whack at a crab with a hammer.

This is not ok 😞 that poor crab just going about its life and then smashed with a hammer. Horrible

Learning that if you are going to eat animals, they need to be killed is one thing. Actually learning to do it is another - and if they are going to learn it, they need the strength to do it quickly in an aim to minimise suffering.

This does not include hammering a crab to death. OTOH, I'm not sure adding a live crustacean into a pot of boiling water is a good death, either.

I’d be totally fine with catching a fish and killing it to eat.
Smashing a crab with a hammer is insane - why would an adult do that?

I wouldn’t be happy about my DC doing this now and they’re adults!

If they did go hunting or fishing I’d want it to be with someone who knows what they’re doing and kills the animal properly. I’m vegetarian but don’t see hunting as any worse than eating something killed in an abattoir as long as there’s no unnecessary suffering. A 4 year old smashing a crab with a hammer is awful and I’d be furious with anyone who encouraged that.

For fun, obviously, never.
For food? If he is a meat eating child then dispatching a fish in an humane way to then be cooked and eaten is fine. Only vegetarians are morally able to be ranty about things like that.
Does depend on how the killing is happening though. Does seem a bit much for a 4 year old but there will be plenty of 4 year olds across the world for whom this kind of thing is just a normal part of survival.

Wtf it’s never ok to kill animals I hope you tell your dc this and I hope this man who enjoys killing animals is your ex.
I can’t believe anyone would even ask this.

Fishing and learning to prepare a fish to eat I’d say maybe 8+ when they are old enough to understand the difference between hurting animals and food. What you described never.

For me in my family never, but we are a vegetarian/vegan household. For a family where the adults eat meat and go fishing as a hobby, I don't think there is any specific age limit. If your child eats fish it's good for him to learn where it comes from 🤷🏼‍♀️

Are you vegan? Cos if not...

I would be raging OP. That’s sick. It’s never ok to smash a crab with a hammer. Please tell me this freak is your ex.

I think it’s fine. Death is part of life. Nature in reality is red in tooth and claw. Your son’s father wasn’t teaching your ds to smash the living daylights out of a crab for the thrill of it. They were using it as bait to catch fish which presumably they ate and the dog ate? To me that’s more natural than giving a dog food that’s out of a tin and ignoring the awful factory conditions that brought that process about.

And your son will be gaining an understanding and wonder of nature by being out there with his father and experiencing the beauty and wonder of it. And unfortunately death is part of that package.

This is just my personal viewpoint but to me you can’t enjoy and understand nature fully by just focusing on the fluffy pretty bits and ignore the fact that animals eat one another. And we are animals too. As long as the killing is done without causing suffering to the animal, and every part of the catch is used and not wasted, I can’t get worked up about it tbh.

Killing and using a crab as bait is normal. It depends what you're fishing for.

I’m a hypocritical squeamish meat eater, and I’d say never. But I could accept hunting for food and humane death. I still think 4 is too young.

Many traditional cultures would have seen boys under the age of 7 as children, and under the nurturing influence of their mother. They wouldn’t be learning men’s skills until 8 or so.

I think what you’ve described would be profoundly damaging to a child that young. I bet this isn’t the only evidence of your ex being a psycho?

Fishing and throwing back, fishing and eating the fish - both ok.

Killing a crab is ok to use as bait, but I’d be a bit concerned the way it was killed was a bit brutal.

It was for fishing bait, to fish you need bait.

I know it’s early but the OP stated that they smashed the crab to use as bait. Not a random act of murder as some pp have assumed. Crabs have no centralised brain so smashing them with a hammer is likely to be the most humane way of killing them.

Educating children about food chains from an early age allows them to make their own mind up about dietary choice. I remember DS asking me what veal was, while in the local butcher, when I told him it was baby cows ( he was 5) he made his own mind up to try it. He has caught and eaten fish, has been shooting and eaten game birds. If he is uncomfortable with how meat is produced he avoids it, but it’s his choice. He has enjoyed helping his uncle birth lambs but has no problem eating lamb.

Far better to educate them where food comes from so they can make an informed choice about what they eat.

Your ex sounds like a psychopath and I wouldn’t want him anywhere near a child.

Murderers often start out killing animals before upgrading to killing people! 😡