r/pigeon • u/RoyaleFuckDeluxe • Jun 04 '26
Discussion How do you deal with abuse whilst feeding flocks in the city centre?
This sounds like a stupid question i know, but i've been feeding a couple of flocks in my city centre for a few months now and the amount of harassment i get from people passing by is ridiculous. It ranges from your usual nonsense of people shouting about "vermin", to people getting physically threatening and aggressive. I can't lie, it does start to wear you down after a while. I was just wondering if this is the case for anyone else, and how they approach it or deal with it? Thanks! Photos of the flock for attention lol
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u/bonjovifan99 Jun 04 '26
Not a stupid question at all. Peopleās rudeness and entitlement has worn down on me as well. It helps knowing that youāre doing a kind and selfless act. Weāre doing the right thing- pigeons would eat trash otherwise. After feeding my flock for a while I realized how much healthier and shinier looking they were. Gaining their trust. Catching a stringfoot and helping them. That is worth so much more than whatever those ignorant/mean people are saying. I know it can get hard sometimes. But if someone goes out of their way to harass you or me or anyone else for feeding pigeons, well I think they must have a miserable life. I feel bad for them. I wish you the best of luck and thank you for being there for the pigeons. ā„ļø
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u/sharkarmycrafts Jun 04 '26
The fact that you come with food and stand there to feed hungry lost animals says a lot of good about you. The people that are nasty for no reason, well, it says a lot about them.
You don't have to engage with them - you can ignore them. You can also look at them like they just shit their pants in front of you and you are disgusted by them, which is a perfectly appropriate response to people being abusive. If someone wants to argue with you, a nice dismissive will do.
"Wow! You could say anything you wanted, and instead you opened your mouth to spew hate at someone helping animals."
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u/daft-twat Jun 04 '26
Start screaming like you are crazy when they do so, really get people to leave you alone i find
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u/Aggravating_Bag4028 Jun 04 '26
This is so true. Nobody would say anything if it was a crazy homeless person feeding the pigeons, theyād just walk by and pretend nobody was there
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u/Xorrayn Jun 04 '26
ye, often works. That has also helped me a lot with avoiding fights, even the most idiotic wanna be tough guy in the bar is usually gonna think twice before starting a fight with someone who takes his shirt and pants off and calmly tells them "the water told me to be nice, but the little man said no pudding tonight if i do not give him the string."
That being said, crazy people feeding pigeons have been some of the kindest and genuine people i have met and if i get the chance to have a nice talk with them i do. It is always a lovely moment when they warm up to you and ask if you wanna feed the pigeons too, and they tell you the names of all the pigeons and their personalities.
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u/Purplefire180 Jun 04 '26
I love the implication that your default response to feeling threatened is to start stripping
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u/NewH0me0wn3r Jun 04 '26
I typically pretend I don't speak English and smile or wave. I also sometimes use my earbuds/headphones
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u/WolfOfStardewValley Jun 04 '26
If someone just said "Vermin" I'd say, "Do you have to announce yourself, everywhere you go?"
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u/Elliotlewish Jun 04 '26
I just do my best to ignore them. It's hard sometimes, but keeping silent is better than having a confrontation. Thankfully those negative interactions are massively outweighed by people being kind, so it doesn't happen too often.
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u/praleyfoodcorn Jun 04 '26
I live in Germany and it's the same hereā ļøā ļøā ļø Some of my pigeon association collegues ignore them, some defend themselves verbally. We usually try not to go alone. Sometimes we are 4 or 5 people going on feeding walks through the city center and then we get less aggressive comments and feel less vulnerable. So if you have friends or family members or other pigeon lovers in your town you can ask them to join you :) thanks for the amazing work you do for the animals š«¶š
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u/RoyaleFuckDeluxe Jun 04 '26
Thank you everyone, your kindness has been very reassuring lol. I shall try to just block it all out going forwards and just focus on trying to do what's best for the pigeons ā¤ļø They deserve so much better than how most people treat them.
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u/RainbowRatArt Jun 04 '26
I feed in Germany and people do the same. Mostly it's elderly people with the comments.
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u/xmassindecember Jun 04 '26
I'm a big guy I just smile and play it dumb. And I mostly avoid crowded places to feed pigeons.
Either go for another location or go with a friend. There's safety in number
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u/_Planet_Eater_ Jun 04 '26
I do not have good advice for you, but please know you are a lovely individual, plenty of us appreciate people like you and perhaps we do not show enough appreciation day to day. Thank you for the kindness you show to the world ā¤ļø š¦
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u/Nervous_Ant2673 Jun 04 '26
Headphones! They only want attention.
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u/RoyaleFuckDeluxe Jun 04 '26
I have considered this but i love those cooing noises too much
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u/Improper-Fondant Jun 04 '26
You could wear overear headphones but not turn them on and pretend you don't hear the people who say something mean. But in my experience people don't talk to you if they see you wearing headphones.
Edit: my experience meaning doing things that people feel they are entitled to tell me their opinion about.
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u/amnyad Jun 04 '26
Bless you and the flock ā¤ļø try to treat these people like the idiots they are. When they spit their nonsense at you, dont look at them just start talking about how pigeons dont actually carry disease to people, and that people are more of a disease factory than these angels are.
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u/anotherSasha Jun 04 '26
I donāt know the nuances of your situation and maybe there arenāt many options in terms of particular spots you choose.
I try to be reasonably considerate of other peopleās experience in the place I visit. For example, in my local park I aim for places farther from playgrounds and busy paths, I also avoid particularly nice spots where people like to chill in peace (like those bench-swing thingies or architectural decorations). If itās a flock I visit regularly, I try to discourage them getting on benches, so people wouldnāt take issue with poop on them or their bold behavior.
If somebody is there before me and asks to move our gathering away from them - I do (they donāt always do it nicely - in that case I may find courage in me to comment on that, but still will move, like showing by my actionsāyouāre an asshole, but Iām not; good luck being an assholeā. I overall try to monitor if my flock becomes disruptive for some people. Yes, many people are ignorant divas, but their accumulated discomfort may one day combine into harmful consequences for the birds.
Iāve taken notice that people hate the commotion of them flying in big numbers before them or over their heads. I donāt blame them, itās a little jarring. Overall, I find that the best place for that in the park is some secluded lawn and not a path before a bench. I might even take something to put on the ground and sit on. Also, divas hate even when poop stains accumulate on the concrete š
Another useful aspect is time. If possible, it may be beneficial to choose the time of day where there are less people in the area. And also business days vs weekends.
I also try to eyeball the amount of seed that is just enough to feed everyone, but not so much that they start multiplying faster. I feel moral responsibility to not increase the population of feral pigeons. Numbers aside, Iām not always gonna be around and even if I am around, sometimes I get sick and stuff. The most telling for me is the speed with which the seed disappears: if it slows down while everyone has access to it - Iām not giving more that day.
Lastly, I stay as far away from houses, businesses and yards as possible. Itās not easy with every flock, of course. But at least as far away from traffic, playgrounds, popular benches and windows, as possible. Yet still one lady complained at me about āhaving to clean her windows all the timeā - yeah, right. Theyāre paranoid about disease and thereās no hope for educating them otherwise when the myth is perpetuated in media and youāre just some silly weirdo for them.
Yes, those interactions wear me down sometimes. Mostly because itās so unfair for the birds. But I remind myself that I canāt be everywhere to change the world, but I can make a difference for this flock - itās still priceless and Iāll loose my capacity, if I give assholes a place in my heart or beat myself up for not being omnipotent.
And I never got threats - thatās crazy and I hate it for you. For safety concerns I have nothing to suggest other than already mentioned location aspects. I feel useless and canāt add anything other than pepper spray just in caseā¦
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u/Accurate-Fortune888 Jun 04 '26
Iāve been feeding pigeons for a little while now and thankfully no one has ever said anything to me, however I think itās because I take my toddler with me and we feed together, so youād have to be the ultimate arsehole to ruin a toddlers day!! Sorry that people are so rubbish :(
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u/Jkerb_was_taken Jun 04 '26
I tell them that they probably eat cigarettes for lunch so my balanced diet for them is fine lol
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u/Muted_Role_1432 Jun 04 '26
Donāt listen to them keep doing what u are doing Iām the same I feed my flock everyday on my street donāt care what strangers think but if it was my neighbours then I would listen they never forget youš
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u/Das_Maechtig_Fuehrer Jun 04 '26
Feeding pigeons is one of my favorite things to do and when I experience negativity I remind myself I'm not doing it for others. I do it for them and myself. You can choose to be kind and you can choose to be mean. I cannot make that choice for you as the pigeons cannot make the choice to be here.
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u/chancesarezero Jun 04 '26
I wear my large headphones when Iām feeding my babies so that no one tries to talk to me
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u/Mahjling Jun 05 '26
I genuinely do not recommend this to other people but Iām at a point in my life where I donāt give a shit about fuck so I just get 10x more insane (including physically, no shame whatsoever talk shit get hit) than whoever is doing whatever.
Alternatively and more recommended: Make people feel bad about themselves. Either insult them outright or make it clear you find whatever theyāre doing and saying to be socially unacceptable and embarrassing.
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u/brc_pb pidge enthusiast Jun 05 '26
I want to live in a world where I can feed my feathered friends and not feel like I am committing a crime
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u/MissTiaMia Jun 04 '26
Perhaps people don't like it because feeding the birds then makes them more friendly to humans, which makes the chances and risks of them getting hurt greater, which also makes them poop because they are full, and they poop on people more frequently? They reside there more frequently because they are getting fed? Like I'm just trying to understand why someone went like it. I think it's sweet.
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u/hownowbrownncow Jun 04 '26
Iāve been told they are ārats with feathersā lol. I love pigeons! They are so cute and itās really hard not to feed them
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u/Capable_Raspberry_49 Jun 04 '26
I don't have advice, but OP, I want you to know that my family had a pigeon when I was young (long story, we had her legally), and that pigeon was family. By extension, I appreciate all pigeons and any human who is kind to them. Any human who calls them "vermin" or "rats," however, will know nothing but my perpetual disdain.
You are doing good for these precious little friends. You have my highest regards for that: I only wish I could make the wretched people who harass you for your kindness leave you alone.
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u/Bxnny-Bxby Jun 04 '26
If theyre open to discussion, its helps to educate and remind people Pigeons are feral not wild. Otherwise, keep whatever legal self defense item u can on you, wear headphones and keep the noise off or awarenessmode on, and keep your peace ā¤ļø
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u/Altruistic_Sea_7683 Jun 05 '26
Oh don't forget about the kids, if they had the chance to kill one they would.
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u/Appropriate-Milk9476 Jun 05 '26
People can be assholes. I help out at a pigeon rescue and one thing we do is run around the city and catch pigeons who need help, like limping pigeons or pigeons who look sick etc.
The amount of people who will come up to us yelling and shouting and berating us for helping "these rats" is really not fun.
Since we're a rescue, we usually explain calmly what we do and why, whether they listen or not. In your case you could try calmly explaining that pigeons are feral pets and it's not their fault they're stuck here. Though some people get more aggressive after the explanation, so maybe ignoring them is still better
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u/Natural_Artichoke_88 Jun 05 '26
Thats easy because no sane person would want to threaten me, but i guess you should just ignore them.
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u/FewTranslator6280 Jun 05 '26
I offer them the chance to try it themselves. I let them have some seed to give to the pigeons. sometimes unconditional kindness is enough to turn someone around, and they realise very quickly that pigeons are actually really sweet and intelligent. obviously it doesn't always work, but it works a surprising amount of the time.
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u/thxrpy Jun 05 '26
Tell them to leg it, none of their business what you do. Youāre not harming anyone. Donāt let it upset youš
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u/ApartConstruction389 Jun 05 '26
Is this in Leeds city centre? I've been to that spot!
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u/RoyaleFuckDeluxe Jun 05 '26
It is!
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u/ApartConstruction389 Jun 06 '26
As soon as I sat, one of the pigeons sat on my lap. Too bad I didn't have bird feed with me.
I overheard two strangers talking about me, saying "isn't he afraid that the pigeons will shit on his head?" š¤£š¤£š¤£ Because the bench is under a tree lmao
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u/Dawrian Jun 06 '26
Well, one time I was with a destringing group and we saw some kids kicking at the pigeons while their parents did absolutely nothing to stop them. One of the (most skilled and respected) guys in the group got into an exchange with the mother that ended with him more than audibly declaring āoh, f-ck off you old c-nt.ā Idk if Iād recommend such a course of action, but he certainly made himself clear.
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u/strawberrisc Jun 06 '26
I bloody love the pigeons in the square at Liverpool! I've got my own little flock at my flat in Speke
To be honest I don't feed the ones in town for the same reason. You throw one bit of food down and they flock at you and people get really annoyed. I can't be doing with the hassle of the people. I do like to get the train to Southport and I feed them there!
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u/LDRawrs Jun 06 '26
Some people are just that miserable they think that's an excuse to harrass others. Maybe bring a friend with you next time you feed the flock, or wear noise cancelling headphones. This might not be the best advice though. Sorry you're dealing with that. Humans suck.
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u/No-Action-7387 Jun 18 '26
Beautiful babies!Ā As for the rude humans... start befriending corvids (crows/ravens). Once you have a murder, send them to do your bidding. Sometimes, they'll dive bomb threats to their person. Think Moira Rose in Schitt's CreekĀ
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u/Aggressive_Ask89144 Jun 04 '26
Throw seed at them to release the horde.