Injured wood pigeon

[Tilly2]

I experienced a really upsetting incident in the garden yesterday. I noticed some feathers on the ground and behind a shrub was a very poorly looking wood pigeon. It had had one of its eyes 'pecked' out and and had several wounds on its back. It moved away from me but kept falling over onto its face. I tried to catch it (don't know what I would have done with it though, put it in a box and put it somewhere!!!)

It flew up onto next door's shed and stayed there for about twenty minutes. Then another wood pigeon came down and tried to mate with the injured one. The injured one flew back into my garden and the other bird followed it and proceded to mate it again. I ran out and shooed it away and the poor injured one was lying on the lawn tipped up onto its face. It stayed like that for another ten minutes or so. By this time it could no longer fly and as I have two dogs, I had to get it out of my garden.

I put on some gardening gloves, picked it up and dropped over the fence into next door's garden. (They don't have dogs) Now I feel really guilty and ashamed as I should have put it out of its misery but I couldn't bring myself to kill it.

What would you have done?

[rowanwitch]

chopped its head off with a shovel I'm afraid I am squeamish but I wouldn't want it to suffer any more... double bagged it and put it in dustbin

[jules77]

I have taken injured wood pigeons to the vets, they either put them to sleep humanely or release them when they recover.

[wildwood]

I like birds but as one of its eyes is missing, it will not survive in the competitive wild, even if other injuries heal. A quick snap of the neck would have been kinder than throwing over the fence to let it suffer, but I do understand your hesitation to killing it.

I frown upon giving the body to the dog(s). Will those dogs now chase other pigeons to get a morsel to eat?

[mrs.chappie]

I found myself in a similar situation not long ago. Was driving along a country road, hundreds of miles away from where I live, had no real idea where I was (just following SatNav instructions) and came across two pheasants, just a few feet away from each other, in their death throes on the road. They'd obviously been hit by a vehicle and were in a very bad way.

I said to my OH, we'd have to stop and help them but I couldn't bring myself to go back and run them over (to end their suffering) and neither could he.

Had no idea where the nearest vet was, but suspect they'd have died before we could get them there anyway. We drove on and left them and I feel incredibly guilty about this. :o(

[mrs.chappie]

Sorry, that didn't answer your question. I would've tried to summon up the inner strength to wallop the poor thing with a shovel, to end its suffering. Failing that, I would've asked my neighbour to do it.

It's very sad, but when the creature has no chance of survival, it's the kindest thing to do (I've been advised to do it by an RSPCA inspector).

[ELVIS68]

I'd have put it out of its misery, harsh but probably kinder than putting it in a box and taking it to a vet prolonging its agony

[Barmaid]

I would have pulled its neck.

But Tilly, don't feel bad. You did what you felt was right at the time. Even though some people might disagree with what you did, you did it with a good heart. I suspect that given the state you have described, it wasn't long in this world anyway.

[mrs.chappie]

I did once ask my neighbour to do such a thing for me. It was a rabbit on the garden, poor thing'd had its back end eaten away but was still barely alive.

OH couldn't bring himself kill it and neither could I, so we asked our neighbour if he'd do it. I don't suppose we were very popular with him as it was the crack of dawn and we got him out of bed.

[Barmaid]

Mrs C - me and my ex hubby once came across a rabbit (on Dartmoor, I think) that had clearly just been hit by a car. I made him stop and we got out to see what could be done. We decided that in its twitching state it needed despatching to the big warren in the sky. My ex said he would deal with it and told me to get back in the car whilst he hunted around for a rock. I sat watching in my wing mirror. As my ex approached the bunny, the bloody thing sprang to life and shot off over the moor with my ex chasing it. I had to call him off a) because I took the view that anything that could move that quickly would probably be OK and b) because I couldn't stop laughing at the sight of this loon with a rock stumbling across the moor after a rabbit.

[mrs.chappie]

BM, that's made me chuckle.

This poor thing'd been half eaten, it was horrible to see it. I just wish I had the inner strength to do the right thing at times like this.

[DTCwordfan]

you find people going out down country lanes in 2s - the first to nobble the birds, the second to legitimately pick them up.....

[Tilly2]

Just to let you all know, the pigeon was nowhere to be foud in my neighbour's garden. Hopefully it flew away.

[Tilly2]

...........and I also should have said thank you to all of you who replied to my question, especially those of you who empathised with me. Some of the replies made me feel a bit better.

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks for letting us know.