A woman in the British city of Bath has been vilified in the local press for feeding birds. The Bath Chronicle published an undercover photograph of the woman, who was feeding gulls, portraying her as if she were some dangerous criminal - and its readers were equally irrational with their comments. One reader called her a “stupid woman” while the newspaper itself went on to give handy tips to its ignorant readership in a section they titled “How can you help rid Bath of seagulls?”
What is wrong with the people of Bath? Are their lives so little that they need to round on a harmless, lonely woman whose only 'crime' is feeding birds? But this heartless attitude is not peculiar to Bath. It's a nationwide problem. At what point did the British psyche change from the days I remember well, when the public were positively encouraged to feed pigeons and other city and garden birds? In London's Trafalgar Square, for example, it was always a treat to buy a little tub of seed from sellers dotted around the area and marvel at the birds as they swooped down to feed, often landing on the delighted public, in a rare and wonderful interaction with wildlife. The thrill of this encounter was celebrated in photographs that fill the pages of aging albums and scrapbooks, and is remembered with fondness from generation to generation. But something has drastically changed along the way. Now you can be fined for feeding birds in some areas. In today's newspapers, rarely a week goes by without an account of someone being handed a hefty fine for feeding birds somewhere in the UK. Law abiding citizens, usually pensioners, are being ordered to pay penalties, sometimes thousands of pounds, for feeding birds even in their own gardens, after nosy neighbours report them to the authorities. Some elderly people are even being physically assaulted for throwing crumbs to ducks in the park. In Buxton, an 86 year old man was viciously kicked and punched for feeding ducks near his home, by a thug who told him that it encouraged rats. Meanwhile councils up and down the country are vowing to deal with the 'problem' of birds which are now widely described as 'pests'. Often an excuse to justify the term 'pest' is the assertion that the birds (especially pigeons) spread disease. This is rarely the case. Birds in the UK are not pests, indeed they have never been viewed as pests until now and this shift in attitude seems to be a very recent development, going hand in hand with a growing public intolerance towards anything natural. Those who will chop down a tree in their garden because it's 'in the way' are the same people who will write to the local press in order to torment an innocent lady feeding birds in a quiet corner of Bath, the city she calls home. The Bath Chronicle - and its readers - in criticising the innocent woman, should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and should examine their own reasons for hounding someone whose only 'crime' was compassion. With all the terrible things going on in this world, surely we have better and more important things to do than to bully those in our community, often the elderly and lonely, who just want to experience the beauty and delight in occasionally throwing a few scraps to our native wildlife.... UPDATE: I have set up a petition to stop councils from imposing fines and encouraging them to establish bird-feeding areas in towns and cities. Please sign and share! CLICK HERE. Thank you.
11 Comments
19/2/2018 03:22:01 pm
I feed the pigeons every day. I cannot feed them on the estate where I live. The "caretaker" sweeps it up. Where I feed them now I have been threatened 3 times. I WILL NOT stop feeding them. I am not breaking the law. Yet. BUT! if an ASBO is slapped on me and I continue to feed the pigeons I can, probably will, be sent to prison. BUT I AM NOT BREAKING THE LAW!!!! Somebody on the Council is deciding my fate, my life: give a mediocre person a modicum of power and it shows them for what they are; weak and arrogant and pusillanimous. And because they are thus they can, potentially, ruin a person's life. This person, or persons, on the council is not a law maker, a police person, but is in a position of judgement, of power which is grossly abused. I will not submitt to such people. I will fight these pettifoggers every inch of the way even if it means that I go to prison. Not even the innocent animals are immune from political correctness. I grieve for them and will continue to feed them and fight the unintelligent, egotistical, pathetic threateners. Oh, by the way, I am not a pensioner. I am a Fighter.
Reply
dion.fitzgerald
19/2/2018 04:48:54 pm
you can't be sent to prison, they can't even give you an ASBO because you are not breaking any laws. an ASBO is a warning for those who break laws and feeding birds in not against any British laws. If you do get an ASBO I would take it further down the legal channel and seek compensation, you'd win. There are too many loopholes in your favour but the officials rely on threats hoping you will be none the wiser and comform. there might be rules aganst feeding birds but thats all it is, just a rule and NOT a law. anyone can make a rule including you and if someone doesnt abide by it there is nothing you can do. rules amd laws are two very different things, one is legal and one is not. feeding birds is not antisocial it is actually a social thing which people have been doing since the begining of our existance. being threatened with an ASBO is also classed as being buiiled when they know you are not breaking any laws, so you could have them for bullying among many other things.
Reply
Margaret Edwards
19/2/2018 04:51:36 pm
I fully agree and feed pigeons and seagulls every day outside my home. Don't people realise these creatures were here even before the first human beings and deserve our respect and help.
Reply
Debbie Macmillan
19/2/2018 06:17:27 pm
Completely agree with the above letters. This attitude seemed to start with the CONservationists a few years ago who enjoyed the money made from culling grey squirrels, and anything else they perceived to be alien to UK. The whole motivation was for them to make money in the name of Science/environment etc. Unfortunately many councils or Wildlife Associations adopted it as gospel but many people have seen through the scam thank goodness!
Roseanne R.
22/2/2018 09:45:19 pm
I fully agree in the feeding of birds, all birds and saving our wildlife; I live in the United States, New York to be exact and it is no different here. People hate the pigeons (most); call them flying rats; such wonderful, highly intelligent birds so shunned by stupid ignorant law makers; I guess they forgot about the wars and how these birds saved countless lives because of their intelligence, letters in pouches being delivered; cameras strapped to their bodies. One day none of this and us will exist; life will be extinct. Instead of pondering the next complaint, the next person you can hurt, think about taking care of the creatures that came to this earth long before stupid humans. They have a purpose here more than most even know; all life is precious. Yet, here people litter every second of the day; buy a sandwich from the deli, throw your wrapper on the floor; finish your coffee, toss it; open up a smelly pack of cancerous cigarettes; wrapper on the floor along with their cigarette butts that won't disintegrate until after 20 years. All the birds do is eat, finish their food and fly. Sure every now and then, you may get a turd on you; I've heard, it's good luck; it's better and easier to clean then dog poop stuck in your crevices of your sneakers; I love dogs, and all animals, but I hate to step in it; So remember birds eat the bugs you hate, chirp a beautiful song in the early morning hours, glide through the skies with Grace. If all you have in your life is to complain about God's birds, then something is wrong in your Life; volunteer at a homeless shelter, donate your time to a hospital, check on an elderly neighbor, give time to an animal shelter and learn about the love that animals give us back especially when we have nothing. Life is too short; stop draining your brain with unwanted topics; wake up, smell the Roses.
dena french
16/4/2020 05:15:26 pm
Theres no need to insult the overweight.you are just as nasty,i feed birds everyday and guess what?yes I'm fat.you are just being petty.I would love to be thinner but things are not so Black and white. 19/2/2018 06:08:37 pm
Really appreciating your comments for this post, thank you!
Reply
Anna
25/2/2018 08:29:39 pm
I agree with others. People who feed wildlife are for the most part nice people. And what society is asking us to do goes against our true nature. No one should stop you from being a caring and kind person. Perhaps society would like those who care to break down and become a gun-toting killer instead.
Reply
Martin
19/5/2020 01:09:32 am
We may or may not believe in the story of Creation, we as the dominate species need to show respect and live in harmony with other insects, animals, species, plants, our intelligence allows us to develop medicines to help control disease, often spread by insects, animals etc, and human contact with animals, Covid-19, malaria, we have to remember that humans have invaded lands that animals need for their survival, we need to live in harmony. How can shooting a lion on a safari hunt be congratulated? why not hunt the lion without the gun and see if you can survive? Leave the birds alone, let them fly to wherever they wish and let nature decide if they live or survive. Bird pest control has become a multi-billion industry, they lobby the governments hard, and governments listen to them. We humans are to blame for all of the planets major disasters, and we will eventually kill the planet through more unnecessary wars.
Reply
23/11/2022 02:55:16 pm
I was accosted by park enforcement officer today. He didn't even see me feeding the birds. Although I was!
Reply
Gee
12/5/2023 07:14:59 pm
I get scolded by women all the time when feeding birds. Just now - I am at a resort, feeding a few birds, off the resort property & a woman scolded me for littering. Always women. I’m a woman. And men never scold me for feeding birds. I keep crackers and feed then wherever I am. The same women who scold me hate coyotes & bob cats & the like, I’m sure. Animal haters are the worst humans.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
If you appreciate what I write about, please consider showing your support by buying me a virtual coffee!
Click the button below! Thanks :) Archives
July 2023
|