Is it normal for boys to kill animals?

Slap upside the head

covered in bliss wrote:

Devils Advocate wrote:

he.who.forgets wrote:

I shot a squirell with my BB gun when I was a kid. He fell from the tree and ran in continous circles until it finally stopped and eventually died. I felt terrible. Never shot at another animal again in my life.

Not to say it's normal but I'd bet a lot of us shot our BB guns at small animals and tweetie birds.

I think boys DO do some questionable things. Probably more than people are going to admit here!

I guess I don't want to make a big deal out of it if it's unnecessary. Don't want to start anything with the parents or have the kids hate me.

They KILLED another living creature just to watch it die.

I'mnot even going to begin to tell you how big a deal I think that is.

I just know what I would do if it were me. but it's you so you need to do what you feel is right.

JonnyPistachio

It could be bad, but it could also be nothing.

I had a friend in middle school who had a BB gun and he would shoot pigeons off the power lines. He also shot at squirrels and killed a few. I dont know why, but I did it too.. probably just feeling peer pressure. But like hewhoforgets, I've never shot anything in my life since that day. It actually gave me a bit of a wake-up call to how fragile life is. I still feel bad about it. But I also recall some of the kids bragging about their 'kills'. Some boys need crap like this to feel macho I think. But shortly after that, the guy with the BB gun moved on to go-carting and video games and he didnt kill animals anymore that I knew of. Boys do weird, fucked up shit. But I would watch for other warning signs, as this is said to be similar behavior to some sociopaths/serial killers.. its hard to say unless we know those boys you talk about though.

Lizard

Hell NO it is not normal.

RKCNDY

sounds like the boys get more of a thrill out of the torture aspect and then the dying is 'finshing off'.

I know one boy in elementary school cornered a badger, and kept poking at it with a stick making it angry...he kept poking it until it died. He grew up to have 4 kids, and a pit bull that he would egg on to go chase cats...well, the dog went on to kill 3 cats in his neighborhood...and he thinks it's funny. I don't like knowing that he is raising his children in this type of environment, but you can't pick your family members, only your friends.

BinauralJam

I've never killed or wanted to kill any animal, people on the other hand...

BinGnarly

I used to burn ants when I was around the age of ten. Then I started feeling bad and thought about how I wouldnt want someone to burn me. So I stopped and havent knowingly harmed any sort of animal since. We all have a reason to be here. Who am I to kill something just because it's smaller then me.

markymark550

I can understand it if the boys had a gun and were hunting or target shooting. However, the torture aspect of does make you concerned for the boys' mental/emotional health. I'm no professional psychologist or anything like that, but as has been mentioned the torture could be a result of some deep seeded emotional issues. If you think the parents would be receptive to talking about it, I would discuss it with them first. If they are likely to brush it off and not care, then I would find out who handles animal cruelty cases in your area and alert them (although they will likely want some evidence/proof).

justam

covered in bliss wrote:

A few young men in my neighborhood are very unkind to animals. While car pooling to school this morning, a rabbit ran across the road and I had a 5th grader and his 5 year old brother screaming KILL IT! KILL IT!--then the little guy says to his brother "remember when you killed that baby rabbit?" They LAUGHED about it!

Another kid tortures frogs and I've scolded the kindergartener for trying to smack a squirrel with a tree branch. -I told him it was going to jump out of the tree and bite him if he didn't stop and that it wasn't nice to be mean to animals.

I spent waaay too much time last week trying to make sure a baby rabbit I found in my garage was safe from the young lab dog next door... to hear that this kid KILLED one is very upsetting!!

My dad used to drown kittens when he was younger but he has said that that's just 'what you did' to stray kittens in rural areas back in the 50's. I can almost accept that.

Should I say something to the parents? To the kids? Is this just a phase or are there psycho serial killers growing up all around me?

These kids need more parenting. Children need to be taught to be kind and not cruel to animals. If you're the only adult around, YOU should say something. Then, follow it up with a conversation with the child's parent.

Adults need to instill kind behavior into children every time they see some kind of cruel tendency emerging. Parents and adults in general have to teach children what's acceptable and what's not.

And, no, it's not normal for young children to kill baby rabbits and try to hit squirrels with sticks.

ShimmyMommy

BinGnarly wrote:

I used to burn ants when I was around the age of ten. Then I started feeling bad and thought about how I wouldnt want someone to burn me. So I stopped and havent knowingly harmed any sort of animal since. We all have a reason to be here. Who am I to kill something just because it's smaller then me.

You know, that's the crux of the matter...it's like they have no empathy for the animals...it's what allows us to decipher helpful from harmful.

EDIT: It also could mean that the same is possibly happening at home to them...just a thought... :think:

DewieCox

It depends on alot of factors. How are they doin it, how frequent, what kinda animals are they doin it to, where are they brought up??

I was brought up in a rural area and had livestock as a child. I also worked on a hog farm where we had to "thump" the lame pigs. I never really tortured animals, but I killed some frogs, snakes and prolly some other things I can't remember

There were several guys in my school that would drive around every weekend lookin for varmints to kill, skunks, coons, possums, stuff like that and most of them are about as nice a guys as you're gonna meet. There were even times I thought they took it a little too far with it. Just about everybody that grew up around here will have similar stories.

For people to start making comparisons to Ted Bundy is a little ridiculous. Maybe a call is in order, maybe it isn't, but chances are it's just a phase.

mickeyrat

Jeffery Dahmar killed animals. repeatedly.

mikalina

I don't think so.... :(

eeriepadave

Of course not

Although first thing that popped in my head was a scene from Rob Zombie's Halloween where that kid killed a cat :evil: :(

Horos

PureandEasy wrote:

Ask Ted Bundy.

Oh wait, he's dead.

Bundy was known for killing animals as a child before becoming one of the most notorious serial killers in America's history.

So, I'd say it's definitely not a good sign.

Ted Bundy was also known to drive a Volkswagon, so watch out for those Beetles.

rick1zoo2

he.who.forgets wrote:

I shot a squirell with my BB gun when I was a kid. He fell from the tree and ran in continous circles until it finally stopped and eventually died. I felt terrible. Never shot at another animal again in my life.

that is my exact experience with this.

And maybe that is the difference - we felt remorse, while others don't.

g under p

rick1zoo2 wrote:

he.who.forgets wrote:

I shot a squirell with my BB gun when I was a kid. He fell from the tree and ran in continous circles until it finally stopped and eventually died. I felt terrible. Never shot at another animal again in my life.

that is my exact experience with this.

And maybe that is the difference - we felt remorse, while others don't.

Exactly, On 3 different occasions I threw a rock at 2 birds and a squirrel when I was teenager. I was able to hit all three, I had an uncanny aim at that age I gather. I only continued after the first only because I didn't think I could hit such fast moving targets. Well I did and after I hit that squirrel and I saw him dead it hit me (3 rocks, 3 dead animals all because of me) I felt horrible. I buried that squirrel and I made a point to NEVER through anything at another animal again.

Out here next to the Florida Everglades we have all sorts of wild animals and I teach the kids to respect them all and to have a heart and care for these animals. Even the ones we don't like ( we have horses, gators, turtles, snakes, falcons, flamingos, blue herons, wild hogs, deer, wild cats etc) cause you never know we could be reincarnated as one of these precious animals.

.....And no it's not normal to torture these animals but not necessarily for boys that young to kill them. I would however discretely tell their parents about what has happened and what the boys spoke about doing.

Peace

Cradles Broken Glass

I've always had an unhealthy obsession with serial killers and cruelty to animals is always a common theme and early indicator among these people. I'm not saying that these boys are future serial killers, but his is definitely an unhealthy habit. For the good of the poor and defenseless animals in your neighborhood (and possibly the good of those boys) I would either say something to their parents or if you want to do it anonymously in order to maintain good relations with your neighbors, report it to the authorities. I vote for the second one, because it might just scare those boys straight.

restlesssoul

not normal.

my mom watched a young kid hang a cat in the neighborhood in front of other kids.
He's doing life for murders.
Animals lead to humans.

Get away from them.

eeriepadave

What do we consider an "animal"? Rats, mice, deer, insects, squirrels? Are people that hunt animals killers?

I just smashed a spider am i killer? :?

thefixer9

Cradles Broken Glass wrote:

I've always had an unhealthy obsession with serial killers and cruelty to animals is always a common theme and early indicator among these people. I'm not saying that these boys are future serial killers, but his is definitely an unhealthy habit. For the good of the poor and defenseless animals in your neighborhood (and possibly the good of those boys) I would either say something to their parents or if you want to do it anonymously in order to maintain good relations with your neighbors, report it to the authorities. I vote for the second one, because it might just scare those boys straight.

This is what I was thinking......