to kill or not to kill

[silly moo]

There have been a couple of threads recently about killing various animals - often those classed as vermin by some.
i was curious how many people think killing foxes, crows, squirrels etc is wrong BUT would happily kill spiders, flies, snugs, snails, greenfly etc etc etc.
Also if so what exactly is the difference?

[smudge]

I could never kill any animal, but if one was attacking my family, or a member of the general public, I would do my utmost to distract it, either by hitting it or whatever it took to stop it. 

Although I'm terrified of Bats & big hairy spiders, I couldn't kill them either.

However, the only 'pests' I would eradicate, are: Flies/Wasps by swat/spray - Snails by pellets - Greenfly, etc., by spray.

[ALLO]

i don't think killing animals is right unless you are going to eat it. but things like spiders, bugs, creepy crawly things i might. usually my hubby just takes it outside.you can't kill anything around him. not even a fly!

[delilahcat]

Unfortunately it's much easier to kill things which are not 'cuddly'. I try not to kill anything and would certainly not kill a squirrel, fox etc, but it's difficult to feel the same about slugs, flies, greenfly etc. I'm afraid it's just human nature (nice lot aren't we?)

Although I hate spiders, I never kill them - my partner is made to catch them and put them outside. And the only downside of owning 3 cats is being presented with unwanted presents (am I the only person in the world who once paid �5 at the vets to have an injured mouse put to sleep humanely? - most people I know think I'm crackers!)

[kaktus]

deliahcat I don't think you're crackers as I would have done the same thing ;0)

I never kill anything unless I step on it by accident or it's a daddy longleg with wings - I'm terrified of them! I suppose a good deal of mosquitoes goes the same way.

I think that deliahcat is right, it comes down to how cuddly they are. Also it might have something to do with how we are raised. Most people are told from they are very young that insects, worms etc are disgusting, I guess it makes them a lot easier to kill.

[Artful]

Mosquitoes, yes. One day I was in the tube and a lady was standing beside me in a beautiful white blouse. Just then, I see this blooming great juicy mosquitoe zooming around so I clap at it - SWAT! Got it in one! A mate taps me and points to the lady. Whoops! her beautiful white blouse is now splashed all over in red; really who'd have thought one mosquitoe, even if just having fed, could have had all this blood inside her. I still kill 'em but now will check if a lady in a beautiful white blouse is standing nearby.........

Otherwise, I consciously try to kill nothing; if I step on (not in) something I'm very sad (in, and I'm in one very bad mood). Over here, lots of people put beer out for the slugs to drown in. Absolutely barbaric. I'm so pleased that today there are so many simple repellents on the market, I mean there's even one for slugs and it certainly keeps them out of the vegetable patches.

But what's this about people killing squirrels?

[FP]

I do kill flies and mozzies, for self preservation only.  Both are a health hazzard.  Other than that I don't intentionally kill anything.  I give a wide berth to most creepy crawlies but would never kill them.  Don't much care for snails and worms but hate it if I tread on them accidentally.  I don't use any insecticides in the garden or the house.   Ladybirds love eating greenfly!

Ooh, I forgot about wasps - Aggressive little beasts.  However, I have never been stung.  I have been known to kill them though.

My three cats don't have any compassion though - they eat anything they catch!

[morg_monster]

I think that nowadays most of us will kill certain species like insects simply because of what is taken to be acceptable in society.  And I think that killing insects, spiders, and invertebrates like slugs and snails is seen as acceptable while killing 'higher' mammals is not, due to whether we can see recognisable human traits in them.  When we watch birds fighting over bread on the lawn, or squirrels chasing each other up trees, or a fox rummaging through bins for food, I think you can see something there that shows an intelligence which makes them more similar to us humans.  It is very hard to see any recognisable behaviour in creepy-crawlies except for the most base actions and reflexes, so we have far fewer qualms about killing them.

Plus: when we do kill creepy-crawlies, at least we usually do it quickly.  I think most of us would feel at least slightly unhappy to watch someone hurting even the smallest, nastiest organisms 'for fun', like picking the legs off a spider one by one or trying to pull a snail out of its shell.  So I think our basic humanity still holds true even when dealing with the little beggars!

[FP]

Morg_monster.  How very true.  However, although it may seem daft, I always think of spiders and bees as having quite 'human' characteristics, probably because of cartoon characters, and bumble bees look quite cuddly!

[littleoldme]

I agree with most of what's been said so far. I would also add that no squirrel, crow or fox has ever done me any harm, so I have no reason to kill them (we did once have a squirrel that kept getting in the loft, but we soon removed it with the aid of a humane trap and some peanut butter!)

Nor do I ever kill creepy-crawly-eating spiders or flower-pollenating bees. On the other hand, slugs and greenfly destroy plants, flies spread disease and wasps are Satan's minions in insect form - plus catching individual insects humanely and removing them to a new habitat for release back into the wild is somewhat time-consuming. :-)

[FP]

I did try the old trick of putting beer in a jam jar to catch the slugs.  They all went in there and then came out the next morning alive and well (probably had a lovely time over night).

I don't put bait down because I don't use chemicals in the garden.

[eupraxia]

I'm building my garden up at the moment and reading on the best natural ways of dealing with garden insects. I try where possilbe to use comapnion planting and incouraging birds to come and deal with slugs and snails. After all thats only natural. I grow flowers that attract ladybirds for aphids and other insects that like greenfly. I'm terrified of spiders but tolerate them in my conservitory because they eat and black fly in there. I try not to kill if i can help it. Its right to say thats its the cuddly aspect of some creatures and not others that fosters killing some and not others.

Eupraxia

[FP]

There's a wonderful book entitled Companion Gardening by Bob Flowerdew.  I wonder if you have seen it eupraxia.  It is true that left to nature, pests generally sort themselves out.  I love watching the thrushes after the snails!  I also take the ladybirds from the garden into the conservatory to deal with the greenfly!

[eupraxia]

Thanks FP I'll take a look at that one.

I didn't think ladybirds liked conservitories or green houses. I get a lot of little black flies in indoors. The spiders seem to like them.

Eupraxia

[rob13]

i think i good fun killing stuff birds, rats and other little animals. it fun to go in the wood and shoot stuff

[rob13]

i fun killing animals. just walking around shooting bird and and other animals