Could you kill an injured animal?

[Connie]

I know I have no issues with killing injured animals that I come across at the side of the road and have shamed more than one male over the years which my decision to do so.

An example: There was a patch of road which was notorious a certain times of year for deer hits. It was a country lane and I would drive up the middle of the road with the white line literally between myself and the passenger, if there was no oncoming traffic. You could never tell which side a deer would run out from and being in the middle gave maximum options as far as I was concerned. On one evening I came across a plumber van in the road stationary and stopped, damaged at the front and blood on the road. The mother deer had missed the van by centimetres, the following fawn had not. It had stumbled off into the under growth and was lying there dying but neither the plumber nor his passenger (another male) could bring themselves to end the life of this injured fawn. In the end, it was left to me. Neither of them, big burly males could bring themselves to end the suffering of this fawn.

I am wondering how many others here have actually killed an injured animal to end its suffering or how many would not be able to bring themselves to do so.

 

[LilAnn]

I know I have no issues with killing injured animals that I come across at the side of the road and have shamed more than one male over the years which my decision to do so.

An example: There was a patch of road which was notorious a certain times of year for deer hits. It was a country lane and I would drive up the middle of the road with the white line literally between myself and the passenger, if there was no oncoming traffic. You could never tell which side a deer would run out from and being in the middle gave maximum options as far as I was concerned. On one evening I came across a plumber van in the road stationary and stopped, damaged at the front and blood on the road. The mother deer had missed the van by centimetres, the following fawn had not. It had stumbled off into the under growth and was lying there dying but neither the plumber nor his passenger (another male) could bring themselves to end the life of this injured fawn. In the end, it was left to me. Neither of them, big burly males could bring themselves to end the suffering of this fawn.

I am wondering how many others here have actually killed an injured animal to end its suffering or how many would not be able to bring themselves to do so.

I haven't and, as much as I would want to, I don't know if I ever could. My grandfather had a small dog that was always by his side when he was working on their farm. The dog got its fur caught in a machine and was skinned alive, my grandfather ran, as bad of shape as he was in, all the way to the house grabbed his shot gun and ran all the way back and put that poor dog out of his misery. I have never been in a situation like that by myself. My husband has had to put some down, and even he has a hard time with it.

 

[Alexia]

I personally haven't, but I remember seeing an injured pigeon in a train station and my friend said he would go and kill it as it was dying and was in pain. It sounded awful but he was right, there was nothing anyone could do and to watch it suffer in the corner was worse.

Not everyone can do it, though they know it's the right thing to do. Could I do it? Probably not.

 

[Josie]

Omg, I don't know. Chances are my husband would be with me and I'd make him do it lol.. though I'm not sure if he could either. My first instinct would be to rush it to an emergency vet. I've been rescuing animals my entire life, but so far it's only been birds, cats and dogs that I've come across that needed help. If I found a fawn dying on the side of the road, I would try my best to get it to a vet and hope that in the end, I didn't just cause more suffering on the way and it dies anyway.

If I were alone and no way to help, I suppose I would force myself to do it. But that's something that would kill me the rest of my life. I've accidentally killed animals in the past and then of course the expected deaths of pets and they're all the same to me.. I have to actually block thinking about them or I'll get too emotional. I'm crazy sensitive about these things lol.

 

[LilAnn]

If I were in the situation where it really needed to be done and no one else was around, I think that I could make myself do it. But only if I had a gun or some other way to end it quick. If there's a chance that it could not work and it would make it worse, I couldn't take that chance

 

[kim1984]

I think like others have said, if it came to the crunch I don't know that I would have the courage. It would be so hard for me to see an animal suffering, but the thought of having to do something to put it out of it's misery scares me - I don't own a gun, I don't carry a knife, so I don't know what I would be left to do.

 

[Connie]

so I don't know what I would be left to do.

Find something hard, like a brick or a rock or stone. I have actually resorted to the emergency triangle in my car on one occasion - totally failing to realise that I had a wheel nut wrench (metal rod) in the car with it! (It works for hitting it over the head before you ask.)

 

[Gettinggreener]

yes easily. i keep camping kit in my car at all times incase of breakdown (comes form years of driving over dartmoor) as a result i always have a hammer in the boot of the car.

 

[kim1984]

Find something hard, like a brick or a rock or stone. I have actually resorted to the emergency triangle in my car on one occasion - totally failing to realise that I had a wheel nut wrench (metal rod) in the car with it! (It works for hitting it over the head before you ask.)

Good point, Connie! I think part of my fear stems from the fear of killing an animal - I know it sounds crazy, because it would pain me to see an animal injured so badly that there was really no comeback from it. I think really I would just have to get over that fear and remember that it would be cruel to leave the animal there for who knows how long to die anyway.

And you're right, I do have tools in my car in the event of a flat tyre so I could just use something like that.

I'm still hoping though that I don't encounter a scenario of having to do it!!

 

[VeganStronglift]

I have killed a few pidgeons that flew into windows. I feel sorry that it happened but ultimately when **** happens that you don't like you just have to deal with it.

Also, I don't think that shaming men for being unmasculine is right.. Killing things isn't manly it is barbaric and not something to brag about.

 

[Andrea Phillips]

I have never faced this situation. I can imagine you have to have a different perspective, in order to do this. I mean, it is just naturally, not easy to kill. So, to actually do it, you would have to totally in the perspective of helping the animal.

 

[VesperLynd]

I believe in mercy killings because pain is unnecessary when it's obvious an animal is nearing death. I myself have not encountered any incident where I had to do it but I know I will do it when the opportunity presents itself. If I use it's body for food and shelter then I am also able to honor it by not wasting the animal. It's a belief of a lot of pagan cultures and it really makes sense to me.

 

[winter.frost]

Yes. My cat once bought in a greenfinch, and it had clearly suffered her attack and was not going to survive - even if we had a veterinarian next door. I snapped it's neck in half a second. It was the humane thing to do. We then buried it.

And yes, I'm a vegan animist.

 

[gettingskinny70]

my gecko was very ill and she was dying I couldn't beat to see my baby suffering, I put her down and then buried her. it broke my heart to do so but it was so inhuman to have her suffering

 

[Remi]

I use to live in the countryside and my cat would bring me back half dead rodents to try and teach me how to hunt because she thinks I'm a big ugly stupid bald cat. It would have been really cruel to let some of them live in the state they were brought to me, if they were in OK shape I would look after them for a while which was always fun.