Small children chasing pigeons in the park - harmless or mean?

It doesn’t matter that birds do some things that humans don’t like. Birds are stripping my Mulberry tree and pooping on the lawn at the moment which is most annoying. The important thing is not to encourage children to be unkind to sentient creatures for fun.

At Cliveden the other day I saw a huge family (twenty or so members) having a picnic and one mother was with her two boys at the edge of the duck pond throwing stones at the duck and ducklings.

You would never have seen that sort of behaviour even ten years ago.

how would you feel if someone was screaming and chasing you.
Not thrilled, but the huge, enormous and massive difference is that I can’t fly away! The OP’s GD can chase them all day but she’s never going to catch one, and the pigeons know that - they might be irritated but they won’t be scared.

And she was not throwing stones at them - why do people constantly bring that up?

My puppy's favourite game is being chased after. No stones. No violence. Just fun. I dont think we can really know what's in a pigeon's brain and if a pigeon can be traumatised by litle people squealing in delight.
Honestly I am way more bothered by the fate of animals bred and killed in horrible ways so we can eat cheap meat.

Thank you Doodledog

Honestly, some of the replies on here are extremely over the top. You would think my 2 year old granddaughter was stoning these pigeons to death while I happily stood by watching.
She is 2 years old. She was running around with a few pigeons in the park for all of 2 minutes, she probably thought she was just playing.
She doesn’t chase geese or ducks, or ‘torment’ any other animals.
I wish I’d never started this thread as some of the replies are not just ridiculous over the top, but actually upsetting.

A few years ago whilst on holiday in Devon with my family, we saw a man kick a seagull hard, so they’re not always quick enough to fly away. This man then felt justified in aiming another hefty kick and despite lots of shocked faces no one said a word to him. We were some way down the street but when we caught up it was obvious the poor bird was badly hurt, so my wonderful son in law got a cardboard box from a nearby shop and took the bird to a vet. Unfortunately it was too badly injured and had to be euthanised.

I know the OP’s grandchild was ‘only’ chasing pigeons but it has to start somewhere. Some children seem to be born with empathy for other more vulnerable beings. Others have to be taught empathy. If the parents think it’s ok to chase and scare animals then it’s not a good start. I’m glad the OP’s daughter has good instincts.

I think all little ones chase pigeons, or anything else, it’s not malicious, it’s fun to them, they don’t know not too, until they are told.

We teach our children respect of other people, animals, belongings or whatever.

Unfortunately discipline and respect are not part of some people’s make up anymore.

I completely agree that it's good to teach children to respect other people and animals from a young age - but as someone else has said, it's a massive leap from seeing a two-year-old innocently running after pigeons in a park to becoming some kind of animal killing monster or serial killer.

Unfortunately discipline and respect are not part of some people’s make up anymore

Really? Our society has evolved from one that believed it was morally correct to enslave other human beings, send children to work in factories and mines, saw bear baiting and cock fighting as fun, tortured people for evidence, executed people in public for entertainment, imprisoned the mentally ill and treated poverty as a crime!

I’d say there is more respect for life and empathy than there has ever been!

Kandinsky

Thank you Doodledog

Honestly, some of the replies on here are extremely over the top. You would think my 2 year old granddaughter was stoning these pigeons to death while I happily stood by watching.
She is 2 years old. She was running around with a few pigeons in the park for all of 2 minutes, she probably thought she was just playing.
She doesn’t chase geese or ducks, or ‘torment’ any other animals.
I wish I’d never started this thread as some of the replies are not just ridiculous over the top, but actually upsetting.

Agreed. I only gave the example I mentionned because it is the one that I happened to witness. Was not comparing at all.

So agreed too that it was not meant to be cruel or mean, and did no harm. The principle remains, and I agree with your daughter, that it would have been apt to say 'no' and gently explain why, and teach her respect for al animals. Not the end of the world, totally agree.

I chased pigeons as a child, I don’t think it’s cruel. They can just fly away! They probably don’t give it a second thought.

ViceVersa

I completely agree that it's good to teach children to respect other people and animals from a young age - but as someone else has said, it's a massive leap from seeing a two-year-old innocently running after pigeons in a park to becoming some kind of animal killing monster or serial killer.

It's quite amazing, isn't it! 😁

Parks are not just for pigeons.

The flippin' pigeons were cooing away on a neighbour's rooftop at 4.45 am again this morning, then their friends were cooing back again from a short distance away.
Could someone please train them not to torment humans?

2 years old ? playing with pigeons not brutalising them

StoneofDestiny

*Unfortunately discipline and respect are not part of some people’s make up anymore*

Really? Our society has evolved from one that believed it was morally correct to enslave other human beings, send children to work in factories and mines, saw bear baiting and cock fighting as fun, tortured people for evidence, executed people in public for entertainment, imprisoned the mentally ill and treated poverty as a crime!

I’d say there is more respect for life and empathy than there has ever been!

The most sensible post yet.

Parsley3 👏👏👏

We’re talking about a 2 year old here, life to them is or should be fun, but they need guidance.

As for there being more respect for life and empathy than there has ever been, I must be living in a parallel universe!

Not sure how you explain all the very young children forming gangs and wandering round with knives and machetes terrorising shoppers and people in their homes. That never happened when we were young. If some kid nicked a few lollies it was considered a heinous crime back in the day. Now it just goes unpunished. I am in the parallel universe as well apparently.

nanna8

Not sure how you explain all the very young children forming gangs and wandering round with knives and machetes terrorising shoppers and people in their homes. That never happened when we were young. If some kid nicked a few lollies it was considered a heinous crime back in the day. Now it just goes unpunished. I am in the parallel universe as well apparently.

Very young? How young are you talking about? I'm pretty sure there aren't many two-year-olds running amok with machetes - and that's what the OP was talking about, a toddler.

What was the little girl's motivation for running towards the pigeons? Curiosity or cruelty? That's where the teaching opportunity lies. I guess that her actions were just spontaneous but it is up to her parents to decide how they want her to act around pigeons. However, it is hard not to startle pigeons unless they are the battle hardened ones in Trafalgar Square.

Parsley3
If the pigeons are really frightened, why do they keep coming back?
I’m thinking of the people who avoid birds or dogs because they were once scared by them.
Maybe the unkindness comes from those people who feed the birds (tuppence a bag), thus luring the pigeons to venture back into danger?

My kids used to chase butterflies when they were little. In fact we have framed photo of our younger daughter, aged about 2, running after a butterfly she could never hope to catch.

I can assure you that both girls have grown up to be model citizens, with no butterfly-murdering tendencies.

I don’t think it’s to do with the pigeons being hurt by a 2 year old, they ll just fly off but surely it’s about a little gentle lesson about not frightening or harming animals
If she is allowed to chase birds ( innocently) won’t that tell her it’s a great game and maybe she ll chase something else

I don’t see it as her being naughty I certainly don’t see the birds as being harmed but I think it’s an ideal situation to teach care and kindness

It is definitely not to be encouraged, children need to be taught right from wrong. Sentient beings should be respected.

People visiting the beaches here allow their dogs to chase the seabirds, who need to rest following feeding. It is wrong.

Pigeons in my opinion are rats with wings. I always shoo them away. I am nit a child. I think the parent in this situation is ridiculous !

Bungalowblues

It is definitely not to be encouraged, children need to be taught right from wrong. Sentient beings should be respected.

People visiting the beaches here allow their dogs to chase the seabirds, who need to rest following feeding. It is wrong.

And the wardens who protect the coastline ground nesting birds often get verbally abused by people .

CV2020

Pigeons in my opinion are rats with wings. I always shoo them away. I am nit a child. I think the parent in this situation is ridiculous !

No, I think the parent has the right to say no, but the implication that any toddler who runs after pigeons (as many of us probably did even if we don’t remember or won’t admit it) will grow up to be a stone hurling, warden abusing, animal harming teen or even adult is really weird.