How my brother deals with yard wildlife
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Anonymous
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I'm not sure how to handle a situation. I am visiting a family member out of state. They started keeping chickens in the backyard, but it is against their city code. It seems like many people do it there and it just isn't really monitored. It doesn't seem to be a big deal. Just 4 chickens, no rooster. My sibling told me that because of the chicken feed, they are starting to get small animals. Rats in the shed, squirrels, and 2 skunks. They live near the mountains, so these animals are not out of the norm. They are keeping a 'humane' trap that traps the animals live to keep them from the chickens, their shed, and creating nests in they ard. Then, (this is the part that disturbs me) my brother shoots them with a bb gun after he finds them in the trap. He doesn't enjoy this, but does it just to get rid of the animals. He used to let the squirrels go, but then he found items in their shed that had been chewed through and ruined. He released the first skunk somewhere, but he actually (this part is what I can't get past) drowned the second skunk. I don't know how he did it- I didn't ask. He was embarrassed to tell me. I felt like he knew it was bad, but he must not be willing to deal with releasing them humanely because of the time and effort it takes. He just wants the quickest solution.
Before they got the chickens, they would get rats sometimes in their shed and he'd shoot them. He doesn't own real guns, just a BB gun or pellet gun of some sort. He's so busy and I think it's just a matter of not having time to do it the humane way. He's not an animal lover like me, and doesn't seem to feel bad for doing it, but just feels bad because he knows it's not 'right'. Not bad enough to stop doing it, but bad enough to keep it quiet. Part of me wants to report them for the chickens because then it would stop the issue, but the kids love the chickens, and he'd still be shooting the rats. Part of me wants to report the killing of the skunk, but maybe I'm the only one he's told and I don't want their family to be mad at me. Their kids love the chickens, and they' say it's none of my business. I am an animal lover and passionate about animal protection. I would never kill a rodent. That's why this is disturbing me so much. If it was a stranger or a neighbor, I'd be quicker to report. But this is my brother. It's not my neighborhood and part of me just thinks I should not get involved, but drowning a skunk?? That's awful, and I think it will just continue. Any suggestions? Please don't create a big thread about how awful my brother is for doiing this- I KNOW that. Please just give suggestions. Thanks. |
Anonymous
| Here is some news - your brother is a sociopath. I'd report the chickens and run. |
Anonymous
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OP here
My brother doesn't have a personality disorder, he's not antisocial, he doesn't have a lack of conscience. He feels bad for doing it, but he just has to solve the problem and he's solving it. It's an issue of convenience. He doesn't LIKE doing it, he's just doing what he thinks needs to be done to keep his shed from getting infested. |
Anonymous
| What about researching alternatives for your brother and then presenting them to him? From what you describe, he sounds ignorant to other options. |
Anonymous
| I guess I'm a sociopath. I don't see the problem. OP, tell your brother you don't want to hear about his chickens and wildlife. Problem solved. |
Anonymous
Someone who doesn't like doing it would not be consistently murdering animals. Him feeling bad is an act. |
Anonymous
| My FIL does this-- except he kills squirrels and other small rodents for fun/ target practice. One of the many reasons he's not allowed around DCs unchaperoned (he also sincerely believes that ADD is something that can be cured with a good beating, so that doesn't help the situation, either). |
Anonymous
| You city people are cute. He's getting rid of vermin. |
Anonymous
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You say you want to "report" him, but are you certain it's illegal to kill these animals?
I would really bother me to hear of a family member drowning an animal. And I have to wonder if the larger animals are killed instantly by a bb gun, or if they suffer. There's got to be a better way. He just needs to do his research. My friends have chickens. There's a large community of back-yard chicken owners online, and I'm certain if your brother did his research he'd learn how to deal with this more humanely. He just needs to learn how to store the food more securely, and how to seal up his shed so the animals won't get in. You can definitely learn how to secure the coop from squirrels and other animals. He can trap and kill them all he wants but he's not going to make a dent in the population. If the food is available, they will come. |
Anonymous
| How is shooting a mouse w a bb gun less human than using a mouse trap? |
Anonymous
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OP here- I don't think setting a trap is more humane than a bb gun.
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Anonymous
Here is some news - you have never lived anywhere near a farm. - Chevy Chase native who knows better because her mother-in-law grew up in Nebraska |
Anonymous
| He needs to buy a real gun so they die instantly. There is nothing wrong with what he's doing aside from the inefficiency and potential suffering involved with using toys instead of tools to get the job done. |
Anonymous
| The drowning though ... that's just sloppy. |
Anonymous
| Do everyone a favor and stop visiting him at his home. If you can't get out of visiting him, then tell him point blank that you are a crazy animal person and that you need him to stop telling you any details whatsoever about what he does to any animal that isn't completely humane. This is your problem, not his and you need to find a way to avoid either encountering the situation or hearing about the details otherwise you'll be creating family strife for no reason. |