Raccoon -- feeling guilty

[Shrader]

We had a raccoon under our coop tonight.
Our bulldog "Baby" had it cornered and was barking at it in the dark.
As soon as I shone the flashlight on it, Baby attacked
and the raccoon fled really quickly up a tree.
The thing looked really scared (and, I have to be honest, pretty cute).
I grabbed a shovel and whacked at the tree.
The raccoon didn't have an option, so it jumped out of the tree, over our fence
(a good 10-12 feet to the ground) and ran off.
I'm a big softie, and now I'm feeling guilty about the darn raccoon.
I know it's stupid. I know that creature was trying to get at our chickens,
and it's best to scare the crap out of it so it thinks twice before trying it again.
But that was an awfully long jump,
and I can't help but feel like the poor little thing might have gotten hurt.
Am I insane? Does anyone else feel bad for the predators?

 

[arlee453]

Well, let me tell you that I hope that big scare it got will keep it away from your coop long term!

I can relate - it's difficult to harm or kill an animal like a racoon (or in my case rats) that you know are just doing what they have to do to survive in a difficult world.

Heck, given a choice, I'd pick your chicken coop too rather than having to hunt down and gather my own food - it's like predator McDonalds drive through!

I used to feel so guilty even at the same time I felt very glad and relieved every time I caught a rat out in my kennel building.

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Am I insane? Does anyone else feel bad for the predators?

Nope! and Nope!

Actually;
Just a little, and hell no!

In all seriousness

Predator by definition is a carnivorous animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals in order to survive. It is good to understand why they do what they do, but not to feel sorry for them. That will get in your way.
Sometimes you have to do what is necessary to protect your animals, or your family for that matter. Forget your feelings! ( leave them in the baby's room) Your enemies and your predators hope you have soft feelings for their plight. They will eat your birds and you if you lie still for it. In my humble opinion we(as a whole) are soft when it comes to things and people that will do us harm.


Edited when I read some of the following posts.​

 

[Wildsky]

Nope, I'm like that for any dang thing - my hubby caught a Gopher the other day - in a trap under the ground, and I wouldn't go near it, and he wouldn't go near it after he heard the thing squeaking - so he left it there, a few hours later it had gotten away.........

My hubby got all MAD about the mice, so he set some traps - after the first one got caught by the tail, he only left the other set - didn't re-set the first trap, then he caught one by the leg... he let both go outside down the driveway - but he hasn't set the trap again!

Let hope there are no racoons or anything round our place, we'd probably move out and let them have the house!

 

[panner123]

Don't worry about the fall hurting the coon, it didn't. When my grandfather was breaking young coon dogs, he would let the older dogs tree the coon, then have one of us kids climb the tree and shake the coon out. That would be a LONG way up most times and when the coon hit the ground he had plenty of fight left in him. This was the way the young dogs learned that a coon was an enemy and they would be praised and given treats for chasing and treeing a coon.

 

[1acrefarm]

You are not insane just good natured. I do not feel sorry for the predators. I would keep an eye and maybe a trap out for that coon. He may come back.

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

I felt bad killing the first one. After seeing what a raccoon did to my rooster, I considered it a necessary part of my predator control program. If you keep chickens, predators will follow. I don't enjoy dispatching any of them, but understand it is part of protecting my flock.

 

[tiffanyh]

YES, I do feel bad for predators! They are just doing what they need to do to survive. They feel pain and hunger and fear- just like our chickens do- and they suffer in the world also, either from hunger or human intervention. They are part of our world just alike all the other species and I feel they deserve our respect.

Now, I understand everyone else opinions and feelings and I DO NOT judge anyone for what they do to protect their flocks-ecspecially when people do their best to do so humanely with the least suffering for the animal, but personally I feel bad for them. They are just trying to make it in the world where grocery stores dont let them shop for food!

Actually, we had a family of opossum living under our deck. Mom finally left and I pulled up the deck board to take out all the almost grown up babies and move them to an adondon barn at a neighbors land nearby. I think they deserve a chance!

Dont yell at me! In understand your sides too! Just try to understand mine and we will agree to disagree

I did wildlife rehab for the state for years! Maybe seeing cute, defenseless babies of all the predators did me in!

 

[rooster-red]

I get absolutely zero pleasure from killing preditors.

I know that they are just trying to survive, and they feel hunger, pain and suffer just like my chickens.

When a preditor sets its sights on the chickens, something is going to hurt and die, thats nature.

I'd just rather the preditor be the one to die if I have to choose.

 

[Hotwings]

One downfall to many is the raccoon is cute. Many uneducated people are amused by their antics and adorable looks. I have firsthand seen the aggressive side of a mean raccoon and believe me they can be vicious creatures. To many people find babies(ie usually falling out of a nest in someones chimney) and try to raise them as pets. Raccoons are very agile . Most raccoons end of road kill anyway. I have heard that raccoons will go into a hibernation in the winter. Not a true hibernation, but you see less of them when the cold weather hits.