Is it unethical to kill animals that annoy you on your property, such as ants, mice, and wolves?

[ZombieHorde]

This poll excludes non-human animals and non-pet animals.

[Patchuli]

1. They're trespassing?

F 'em! But no glue traps please!!

Wolves? Crap! I'm letting the city deal with thaaaaaaaaaaat!!

[Big Blue Marble]

56. And they might say that we are the ones trespassing!

They were on this planet long before we were.

Yours is a species-centric attitude that is all to common on this planet.

[ailsagirl]

61. Hear, hear!! We're in good company... Albert Schweitzer

Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living
creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of
worthless human lives-- Albert Schweitzer

[Patchuli]

88. If they're in my kitchen,

they gotta go.

Hey, you don't know me from one post so don't be telling me what my attitude is. I was partially kidding. I am actively involved with NRDC and other wild life protection organizations to protect the wolves and am a member of Greenpeace. I call and nag Congress members about these issues.

It amazes me how some people think they can sum another person up so neatly and tidily without knowing much of anything. OK, my turn. I think you leap to conclusions pretty easily.

*edited to add: my cats decide the fate of any mice that get in here before I have a chance to do a thing. Do you think they are "species-centrists" also?*

[ZombieHorde]

115. Who is they?

[comtec]

105. I LIKE wolves and mice...

Mice are tasty treats for my cat!
and My wife keeps our place rather clean, so there's little worry about ants in the house.
Wolves are beautiful animal, stunningly so.
I would never harm one, but I would scare them off.
Not because I'm afraid of being harmed, but because others would harm them!

Insects in general?
RAID!

ok not really RAID, while effective is toxic, and I do care about my pets... thats why we have feet, shoes and fly swatters! :) (not to mention netting for windows to keep them out to begin with!)

[Patchuli]

113. My cats just kill them

and leave them in the hallway to show off to me at 6:00 a.m.! Eeeek!

Ants don't come in for crumbs. I actually had some come in last spring after this sweet flowering plant I had in my greenhouse window. But lately, we are getting ants in our bathroom because they want water! It's a hot dry summer...

[comtec]

123. It's because they love you and want you to see how good they have been

And being the boss cat, you get the best bits :)
at least that's what I like to think LOL

[Patchuli]

124. I just missed stepping on the best bits

barefoot in the dark! EEEEEEKKKK!!! That would have given me nightmares for life!

[Cleita]

2. Ants and mice aren't endangered species.

Wolves are. If you want to kill wolves why didn't you include coyotes in your silly mix? I live in a rural area with lot's of wildlife as well as domestic ranch life. I have one rule. If they come into my house, like ants, spiders and mice, they will be killed if I can't find a way to make them stay outdoors or trap them and move them outdoors. Anything that lives outdoors is sacred and we share our space. It's up to me to protect my pets and my plants from them, but killing them isn't an option especially for native species.

[ZombieHorde]

6. "If you want to kill wolves why didn't you include coyotes in your silly mix?"

I did not claim to have any desire to kill wolves (though I think that it is interesting that you typed that) and second part is because I did not think of coyotes. I hear about ants, mice, and wolves much more often. I was going to include spiders, but decided to just go with the three that I used.

[Flabbergasted]

3. Depends on the circumstances and the person. Ethics are relative to some degree.

[EFerrari]

4. I tend to frown upon killing even of any kind.

It may be cowardice but that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

[Snarkturian Clone]

5. I have committed genocide today.

Hundreds of ants destroyed. Viva la garden!!!

[Selatius]

7. You call ants "animals"???

Colloquially, people use "animals" to refer to creatures that are not insects. If they wanted to talk about insects, they usually call them "bugs." I guess a large segment of the population would call an ant an animal, but I haven't seen evidence of that though.

[ZombieHorde]

12. Yes, I do call them animals.

[Muttocracy]

22. Ants are animals; they are invertebrates.

Animals does not refer just to vertebrates or mammals. But you're right, a lot of people think that.

[Occam Bandage]

24. ...do you call them plants? Fungi?

[BlooInBloo]

33. Teh stupid! It BURNS!!!!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

81. You'd rather call them plants?

:shrug:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. I have found trapping mice alive much more effective

I had a serious mouse problem a couple of years ago and the only traps I found that actually worked were these green things from Home Depot. Load them up with peanut butter and a day later there were six of them in there. Took four loads of them to the hills.

[CitizenLeft]

11. me too...

I can't kill 'em. I just can't.

But the green ones always broke on me - the doors, I mean. The one I have now works pretty good - metal box with a glass top and 2 only-way-in openings. So far, so good.

[Warpy]

13. I found mouse crap in the cabinets when I moved in

but I moved in with two cats. I haven't seen any mouse crap anywhere since then.

When I get lines of sugar ants, I sweep them up and deposit them outside, then destroy their pheromone trail by washing the area with white vinegar.

I'd rather encourage vermin to live elsewhere. When I find bugs in the bathtub, I scoop them into an old jar and deposit themselves outside.

If I found an infestation of something that threatened my health, though, I'd deal with it accordingly to eliminate the threat.

As for the OP, "one of these things is not like the other...."

Wolves, while they might take livestock from time to time, are not vermin in the sense that they directly threaten our health. They are the only means known to man of keeping the numbers of coyotes down by competing for the same food supply.

[RoyGBiv]

9. Yes, but ...

It is not unethical to bring in a natural predator of one of the little bastards and set it loose.

Tomorrow, I'm going out and finding myself a hawk to take care of this damn frog out there screaming about how much it wants to mate. Little bastard has kept me awake four days in a row now.

And by god I'm gonna figure out some way to keep a colony of bats around here to take care of these flippin' mosquitos.

[notadmblnd]

76. Come to my house, I have bats galore

i just love watching them come out at night.

[ZombieHorde]

117. Are not Humans natural predators?

[RoyGBiv]

120. I don't eat frogs or mosquitoes n/t

[ZombieHorde]

121. Well, I guess that is an interesting fact about you.

I will try to keep that in mind RoyGBiv. I will also try to never accuse you of eating frogs or mosquitoes.


Or maybe you are just a lier and you do eat frogs and mosquitoes.

[RoyGBiv]

122. Ya got me.

I do eat the occasional mosquito ... not intentionally though.

Avoid the green ones.

[CitizenLeft]

10. I will kill ants and spiders because they will bite my dogs...

...and centipedes because I can't stand 'em. Flies, I shoo out the screen door. Honest.

Wolves are out of the question. Never... unless I was protecting my dogs or a child, but we don't have wolves where I live, so I'll never be put in that situation.

Mice... ah, do I have mice stories to tell. I've gone to great lengths to trap mice humanely and release them in the park. In the last 2 weeks, I've done just that - at 3:00 in the morning! I can't stand the thought of killing anything over the size of a centipede. Unless it was one of those huge palmetto-sized... ugh... I can't go on...

[DrCory]

26. You might want to rethink killing centipedes...

I know they look creepy and move eerily fast, but centis are beneficial to have in the home (depending on the species of course, I'm speaking of those inhabiting temperate climates). They have voracious appetites for just about any other arthropod.

[bean fidhleir]

67. Yes, sudden centipedes are a little disconcerting, but they're really

rather lovely to watch as they busily race across the floor, wall, or ceiling.

[DrCory]

87. LOL! A very appropriate phrase...

"sudden centipedes"

I like it!

I had a 6" specimen of Scolopendra as a pet when I was a teenager. My mother, otherwise thick-skinned, was thoroughly freaked by it. But, she allowed him in the house as long as he stayed in my room. Well, you probably guessed what happened, through my own carelessness he managed to escape. I blamed it on the cat, who always got a pass on this kind of thing. We never did find the centipede, and Mom was visibly anxious for some time after, waiting for him to emerge.

[Patchuli]

89. I bet that cat had a bit of a meal! nt

[bean fidhleir]

103. I can't take credit - I stole the phrase from Terry Pratchett

Though in the book I stole it from, it was "sudden spiders".


Where on earth did you find a 6-inch centipede? The biggest I think I've ever seen in the US was 2 or perhaps 3 inches.

[DrCory]

106. Good Question...

"Legs", as I called him, was not from around these parts. Scolopendra gigantea are found in South America. I had access to a zoological collection at that time. He was a "spare", not on display.

[bean fidhleir]

108. Since you'd already said scolopendra, I should have just looked it up

It's funny, to me the only "real" centipede is the house centipede with its pleasant stripey coloring and long, spidery legs. The scolopendra and similar look like what I think of as milipedes only of course with fewer legs.

So did you then go into zoo/bio/ento as a trade?

[CitizenLeft]

92. okay, I know you mean well...

...but now I'm totally creeped out...! :hi:

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. I find Zombie Fire Ants hard to kill

Zombie mice can be sent to my neighbors....... Werewolves are another problem
especially with the price of silver these days.

[ZombieHorde]

15. Zombie Fire Ants

Shoot them in the head.

[DireStrike]

51. LOL

That'd do it alright.

[BlooInBloo]

34. What is this - a Piers Anthony book?

:rofl:

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

16. You lump ants and mice (commonly regarded as pests) with...

...the real target of your poll: wolves. This is a push poll technique -- you're attempting to steer respondents to vote no.

What if the question were rephrased to read: "Is it unethical to kill animals that annoy you on your property, such as foxes, deer, and wolves?"

Or: "Is it unethical to kill wolves on your property?"

I suspect you'd get different results.

[ZombieHorde]

18. Ants, mice, and wolves.

All three were intentional. Some people are OK with killing ants, as opposed to the others, since they are insects. Some people are OK with killing ants and mice, as opposed to wolves, for several reasons. Some people are OK with killing all three. The three animals listed are a progression of sorts.

A short while back my apartment had some mice. We told our landlords and bought some humane traps. The traps did not work. Our landlords gave us snap traps to use, and we did. I caught a mouse right away with it, but the mouse was still alive, though extremely injured. I took the mouse outside and hit it in the head with a hammer. I felt disgust and guilt. I still don't know how I feel about what I did or whether I would do it again.

So the poll has two separate motivations.

[notadmblnd]

17. ants are for little boys to burn up with magnifying glasses, mice are for cats to kill

wolves are for animal control to take care of. I would kill none of them.

[Occam Bandage]

19. Wait, if it excludes non-human animals and non-pet animals,

then it only includes ants, mice, and wolves which are both humans and pets. I am unaware of pet ant-men or pet mouse-men, so it seems you are asking if we can kill pet werewolves. I say the answer is obviously yes. While I know werewolf proponents will claim that they are perfectly friendly beasts if raised and socialized correctly, and will say I am buying into the anti-werewolf media hysteria, the fact remains that werewolves are dangerous man-creature hybrids that are only owned by dangerous, evil people. If God did not want us to kill them, God would not allow low-density silver bullets to pierce their unholy flesh.

[Ichingcarpenter]

21. What about Zombie Pet house husbands?

Isn't that what we are really talking about?

[ZombieHorde]

23. Avoid mouth based activities...

[Retrograde]

20. that's the cat's job

well, for mice and other rodents, including the *&^%$ gophers. But that would mean he'd have to get out of bed first.

My garden seems to be the local wildlife restaurant. I don't begrudge them a little, although I do get annoyed when they take the whole crop. I don't harm the raccoons, possums or even the damned fuzzy-tailed rats who take a few bites and leave the rest of the fruit to rot. Snails, OTOH - it's war.

[bklyncowgirl]

25. If they are damaging my property or threatening my pets or livestock I believe I have a right .

Right now I have two cats who keep the mouse & rat population down quite nicely. They do it by killing them. I'm not personally bashing the little beasts over the head, I'm leaving the wet work up to my furry little hitmen, er hit kitties but it amounts to the same thing.

I let my dog deal with rabbits, geese, deer and other animals that are eating my vegetables. Actually, he's a border collie and only wants to herd them, he once cornered a rabbit and instead of going in for the kill, worked the poor thing like a cutting horse, not letting it out of the spot where he had it pinned. I caught the dog, praised him to the skies and that rabbit has not been seen near my property since. If I had a dog that wanted to kill, I might think differently about it.

I routinely poison ants who undermine my driveway. We don't have wolves where I live but if I felt that a wolf or other large predator was threatening my horse or cats or dog who I consider part of my family, I would do what I have to.

[Xithras]

58. Bingo, you hit the difference on the head right there.

I regularly use DE and other agents around my home and garden to kill ants, and I have lethal mouse traps out back where I keep the horse feed. Still, I know I have unharmed wild field mice in the trees, and I know of at least two large anthills on my property that I have left undisturbed. Why? Because they aren't bothering me. I have no problem with wildlife on my property (hell, it's why I live outside of the city), but I have to draw a line when they start damaging property.

If I saw a wolf walk out of the trees behind my home and across my field, I'd feel blessed (and shocked, since they've been extinct here for a century). If that same wolf attempted to attack and kill one of my horses or goats, I'd shoot it dead (I'd be a bit torn if it went after a chicken). There's a difference between "visiting" and "threatening".

[bklyncowgirl]

107. A cat is as lethal as a mouse trap.

You might argue that since a cat likes to play with its prey that using a lethal mousetrap that snaps their necks may be more humane than turning old Fluffy loose on the little beasties.

Like I said I have two little contract killers living in my house. I give them food and a place to sleep. They take care of the mice.

[LostinVA]

27. Ants and mice are not in the same category as wolves

This is a bullshit, flamebait poll.

[dysfunctional press]

30. to a buddhist they are. ALL life is sacred.

[ZombieHorde]

37. Do you think that ants and mice are in the same category?

[LostinVA]

82. No

However, I don't want either in my house. If I see an ant, I'll kill it. If the cat sees a mouse, he'll kill it and eat it. I don't begrudge predators for doing what is natural.

[ZombieHorde]

85. Do you consider Humans to be predatory animals?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

83. Yeah.

"pests"

[dysfunctional press]

28. what if you're paid to kill them on other people's property...?

ch-ch-cha!

[Marrah_G]

29. No it is not unethical- Your question was to vague

Are the creatures casing damage, killing or injuring people or animals on the property?

We don't know if the wolf is merely taking a sun bath out n your property or has it's jaws clamped around the neck of your child or pet.

See the difference?

[Dogtown]

31. My, you are clever!

how can i not have seen this coming? your incisive conservative thinking has converted me because i can't possibly think of any non-linear response that isn't conditional on assigning differing values to ants and wolves. you've shown conclusively that there is no excuse not to kill something that i find annoying.

perhaps you should have included "folks" on your list; they can be extremely annoying!!!


pissant

[ZombieHorde]

36. differing values to ants and wolves

I find it interesting, how many people think this is about killing wolves, instead of saving ants. Though it is the mice I am most interested in.

[Dogtown]

38. I thought it was about

stirring up shit.

Just goes to show you...

[ZombieHorde]

42. Stirring shit up is fun, but this poll was inspired by the guilt I felt when I killed a mouse

with a hammer, after I caught it in a spring trap. I don't think twice about killing ants in my home. I think that it would upset me greatly to shoot a wolf.

edit for spelling

[Dogtown]

45. Shit-stirring is indeed fun

Killing stuff isn't.

Glad you were just chumming the waters and not supporting a dominant attitude towards other life-forms.

:toast:

[BlooInBloo]

32. It's not per se unethical to kill mere animals at all.

[aroach]

35. I have seven cats

No mouse in its right mind would come on my property. If it does, then I won't have to worry about being the one to kill it.

I did put out ant baits this year. I really do hate killing them but they were getting in all our kitchen cabinets and in our food. They even got into sealed containers that were supposedly airtight. I couldn't afford to keep replacing food so I did kill them with a sad heart.

I would not kill a wolf unless one of my kids were in serious danger from it. Even then, I imagine my large overprotective dog would deal with the threat so I wouldn't have to.

[ZombieHorde]

39. I have no problems killing ants, but it bothers me to kill mice.

I wonder why this is. Perhaps it is because it is easier to see the mice suffer.

[newmajority]

40. If a wolf ever manages to get in my house, I guess I might be forced to kill it.

Not much chance of that happening though. Haven't seen signs of any mice lately either. As far as the ants and spiders go, as long as they stay outside, I don't have a problem with them.

[Midlodemocrat]

41. I'm killing ants and loving it.

Hate those fuckers.

[Yupster]

91. Me too Midlo

I have a swimming pool, and will rescue pretty much anything that falls into it.

Geckoes are the funniest. They can seemingly scoot over the water endlessly until rescued. Sometimes they drop their tails when I rescue them. Sometimes not.

Anyway, that is all off when it comes to ants. I have this hatred of them. They seem the cruelest of animals in my yard. I'll see them ripping another poor insect into pieces while he's trying to drag himself away.

Nope -- I've decided I'll preserve all life -- except those ^%$%& ants. I'll even have a termite swarm in and I'll walk him to a field rather than squash him.

Anything except ants is the rule with me.

You can take an airplane 2,000 miles, rent a car and drive 50 miles on dirt roads, park the car, walk a mile up a hill, sit down by a creek .... and within a minute they'll be a ^%$^&% ant crawling on you.

I saw a picture of a hatching dinosaur that was coerev by volcanic ash just as it was hatching. There were ^%$#%^ ants crawling on it while it was helpless.

I just can't stand them.

[LWolf]

43. It depends.

First of all, on what constitutes "annoy you" for each household, secondly on the "annoyer," further, on the other alternatives for dealing with the annoyance, and finally, on the environmental damage caused by the method chosen.

What, exactly, is an animal that is not a "non-human" or "non-pet" animal?

The only animal I know of that is not a "non-human" animal is a human. Ants, mice, and wolves are certainly "non-human." Therefore, your poll excludes all animals but humans.

Are you asking if it's okay to kill a human on your property that "annoys" you?

[ZombieHorde]

46. I was trying to exclude Humans and companion animals from the poll.

[LWolf]

50. Just a case

of awkward wording, then.

I kill flies. I catch spiders and put them outside. The difference? One carries disease; one is beneficial.

That's pretty much the way I look at it. I, too, have felt guilty for killing the mice. I don't like cleaning up mouse shit, though, or breathing it.

I've been killing packrats right and left this year. I don't like it. When I'm able to catch them live, I move them a couple of miles out onto the public land I live adjacent to and release them. That's rare, though. They are strong and wily. They live under my old mobile home, chew into the walls and cupboards and ductwork, and generally wreak havoc.

They kill themselves in the barn, drowning in the water troughs, which have to be checked daily.

If they'd keep themselves, their nests, and their droppings, away from the house and barn, I'd leave them be.

That's my line. When they pose a health hazard or structural hazard to me and mine, I'll kill them.

I would NOT kill a wolf. I don't have wolves in the neighborhood, but do have lots of coyotes. I keep good fences up.

[ZombieHorde]

54. awkward wording

Yes, I made a mistake. Doh!

I would NOT kill a wolf.

I don't own a firearm, so I don't think that I am able to kill a wolf. If a wolf was outside my home, I would call 911. The apartment building I live in is swarming with Human children.

[alarimer]

44. Define "annoy".

I can see killing insects and mice- they can carry disease. As for wolves, I would say it should be legal to kill them ONLY in the event that that kill too many calves or livestock. Otherwise there are better ways to keep them out.

[Ian David]

47. Depends on which kind of pest creature trespasses on your property

[ZombieHorde]

49. Bwahahahaha!

[LanternWaste]

112. No pictures of political canvassers?

No pictures of political canvassers? Those are the ones that tend to disturb me at my place more than any other group of people witnessing their beliefs...

[truebrit71]

48. It is illegal to kill wolves on your property as they are an endangered species..

...ants and mice? Depends on how large a problem they are...everything is part of someone else's food-chain so I wouldn't want to disturb things too much...of course, if we're talking about the mice problem they showed in Australia last year I would say hell yeah, nuke the little furry bastards!! Ants....as long as they don't **** with me, I won't **** with them...

[galledgoblin]

52. depends depends depends

any endangered species, yes, it's unethical to kill.

any non-endangered critters that you could move to a better location, not only is it more ethical, it's also more effective.

but if it's a non-endangered critter that cannot be moved and cannot stay, then it's completely ethical to kill.

I adopted a cat to deal with mice in my apartment.

[bean fidhleir]

53. Ants, mice, and wolves are not in the same category

It's unethical to kill the wolves unless they're a true danger (which they almost never are)

It's less than ethical to kill mice if all they're doing is being mice. If you don't want mice around, support a cat or two: the mice will leave peacefully.

Ants are not mammals or even mid-order creatures, so their ethical claim on us is minimal

[ZombieHorde]

57. support a cat or two

I have a very hard time breathing around cats. I think that cats are cute, but my body hates them.

[bean fidhleir]

65. I have some of the same problem - I wheeze

Mine might not be as bad as yours, though, because I've chosen to accept the wheezing as a small price for the companionship. And I could always get the shots, if it were to become more serious.

[ZombieHorde]

66. I have been considering getting the shots, as my allergies have been growing worse.

[bean fidhleir]

77. I'm pretty sure I would choose to get them, in your place. Allergies have nothing to recommend them.

[bean fidhleir]

114. Oh, if you do decide to support a cat or two, introduce them into your home when it's warm outside

Otherwise, the mice will be trapped and unable to escape peacefully. If it's winter, being forced out of the house is a death sentence because they've no hope of building a burrow in the frozen ground. Their only prayer is to try to survive in the house til they can escape when the weather warms up in spring. Which of course is very hard to do if one of the cats is a hunter by nature.

[donco6]

55. Why not ants, mice and orangutans?

Ants, mice and cute, cuddly puppies?

Ants, mice and fluffy bunnies?

It makes as much sense as this poll.

[ZombieHorde]

59. The bunnies make sense, since they eat peoples gardens. I considered using them.

Then I decided against it because they did not fit into my animal progression. Ants, mice, wolves. I could have replaced mice with bunnies, but the animal I most wanted to be in my poll was mice. I then chose an animal that is often considered lower than mice, ants, and then I chose an animal that is often considered higher than mice, wolves. All three of these animals are killed by Humans because of what they do to a persons property. Ants get into your food, mice get into your food and poop all over your home, wolves kill livestock. I hope that my three choices make a little more sense now.

[donco6]

60. But to lump them all together is just unfair.

I mean - I've had ants and mice in my home. I had absolutely NO QUALMS about dispatching them.

A wolf. I would do anything possible to protect myself while getting it out in one piece. Same with a deer or a bear. I also do anything possible to prevent them from being tempted to enter here (and it does happen fairly frequently.)

I think the reason for the difference is that ants and mice INFEST. I can't see that happening with a wolf or deer or bear - at least, not in my home.

[ZombieHorde]

62. People who live on ranches sometimes have troubles with a pack a wolves.

I think that lumping ants, mice, and wolves is perfectly fair in this situation. All three are considered pests by some, and valued life forms by others. It is no fault of mine if you value one of these animals over the others.

[Quantess]

102. How About Ralph Nader?

I mean, I know he's an accomplished senior citizen, but he has not been helpful to the progressive movement. I'm sitting here feeling the effects of being friendly to Ralph Nader, and it isn't good.

Parallels can be drawn.

[ZombieHorde]

118. Being friendly towards someone is different than voting for them.

[krispos42]

63. No, with the caveat...

...that you are following the usual guidelines for public safety, as well as the endangered-species law. I don't want you blasting engangered condors, for example, or shooting squirrels in a crowded neighborhood in Queens. Or putting rat poison by the kid's playset.

[ZombieHorde]

68. That makes sense to me.

[depakid]

64. Depends

People often kill spiders and snakes- even though they don't like rats and mosquito's.

Ethical questions aside, that's just fucking stupid.

[ZombieHorde]

69. I did not think of snakes. They would have gone well inbetween ants and mice.

[FreepFryer]

70. ants and mice are one thing, wolves are quite another. Gotta support 'keystone species' like wolves.

http://www.californiawolfcenter.org/mission.htm

[ZombieHorde]

71. What would you do if a wolf was in your yard? I would call 911, even though they may kill it.

[FreepFryer]

72. It's happened plenty of times. Keep the animals and kids inside, and wait for it to leave.

Don't feed it or interact with it and it will have little reason to stay.

[ZombieHorde]

73. My apartment is swarming with children. It would be too risky for them to wait.

[FreepFryer]

74. I would suggest that an apartment-dweller with 'wolf problems' may not be seeing a real wolf.

The anti-Rabies Animal Control call might be well-advised :)

[ZombieHorde]

75. I live in Montana, wild animals in town is an everyday event.

I see deer and elk in my backyard all of the time. They stare at me while I smoke.

Though I don't think that wolves come into our little town, but bears sometimes do.

[LanternWaste]

78. if it has fur, I leave it alone...

If it has fur, I pretty much leave it alone. So squirrels, mice, bats and so forth get a non-interference pass from me. Same with spiders, dragonflies, ladybugs, bees, etc.

A- I don't have a yard, merely a balcony. BUT B- there's a family of squirrels that are getting used to me, and the smallest (a cub?) will eat a piece of wheat bread I set on the banister while I'm still on the balcony. I'd like to get it (well-- all of them) to eat out of my hand, but it's taken a long time just to get where we are now.


Mosquitoes and wasps, though? My mortal enemies. Would blast them to hell with a shotgun were I one to own a shotgun.

But I don't have *any* opinions or ideas as to whether what I'm doing is ethical or not.

[donco6]

79. You may regret that squirrel relationship.

Once they've burrowed into your siding and started scurrying up your walls all night . . . you may not want to encourage them so much.

It's happened to me, and it isn't pretty.

[LanternWaste]

111. Thanks for that...

But since I live in an apartment, things like rodent/pest control are a bit outside of my purview.

:)

They do tend to play around on a tree just outside my window and scurry around on the roof (and window sill) all night long, but I've gotten used to it and it's pretty much just white noise to me these days.

[AlCzervik]

80. spiders are helpful, they eat other bugs that may or may not be in my house.

i have pest control to keep my neighbor's infestations out of my house.

One thing i did have done was just last week, we have a major pigeon problem here and they were roosting in certain parts of my home's exterior so i hired someone to come out and seal off those points, i had the option of the tack things but decided against it and opted for galvanized screening which so far has worked out really well. I've noticed the pigeons flying on to the roof, finding their roosting spot sealed off and then they fly away. Anyhow, best $200 i've spent for my home.

[iamthebandfanman]

84. i dont kill animals

persay.

now ants on the other hand... id probably kill those...
but no, no mammal harming.

my back yard has a racoon(who is definitely annoying cause he likes trash), a groundhog(who really keeps to himself and doesnt bother anybody..its funny watchimg him run around), and a few rabbits(which definitely dont do anything bad).

i personally like having the lil buggers back there. neat to watch them. i have a pet rabbit that lives in doors with me tho, so maybe im a lil bias on lil furry animals. lol

[KansDem]

86. Apparently, in Pasadena, Texas, you can kill them if they're on your neighbor's property.

But only if you saw them come out of the window of your neighbor's house, and only after the 911 dispatcher tells you not to...


http://rackjite.com/archives/908-Local-Pasadena,-Texas-Hero-Joe-Horn-Kills-2-Unarmed-Hispanics.html">Local Pasadena, Texas Hero Joe Horn Blows away 2 Unarmed Hispanics

[Pavulon]

90. I dont kill ants the diazanon

does that for me.

[NeedleCast]

93. I'm not sure annoy is the word I'd use

Ants, mice, wolves...each can be more than an annoyance. If I find the first one on my property, I will try to kill them. Mice I'll kill if they are in my house. Wolves would be more likely to encourage ME to leave the area.

[CRF450]

94. I fry ants under a magnifying lense for fun....

I use to back in the kid days, but I dont really care to anymore. Wolves are a whole different catagory buddy, I wouldn't gurt one unless it was trying to attack me.

[Withywindle]

95. Hee!

This whole thread is hilarious, but my very un-PC perception is that our world exists as an ecosystem for a reason, and the 'endangered species' argument trumps many things.

Taking that angle, it's worse to kill a wolf than to kill a human, but killing ants is barely noticed.


I hate killing period and avoid it at all costs. When I was a kid I used to stalk around the house after my parents had gone to sleep and trip all the mousetraps so no mice would be hurt. (Took 'em years to figure it out. :D) But I'd be fine with having a cat to do the job because at least the meat would go to good use.

I don't squash bugs if I can help it. But I do eat meat.

I have a problem with human-supremacy. The idea that it's morally good for us to reproduce as much as we feel like, but other populations have to be "controlled" for our convenience. (I hear this a lot from people who find it shocking that I have no interest in breeding more humans from my line.) I would be totally fine with taking "my" allotment of space on the planet for my theoretical litter and applying it to bear cubs or wolf pups or a snake nest instead. (My top preference would be California condor chicks, if I get to pick a preference--no reason to think I should) If a benevolent God asked me to choose one species to go extinct in the next millennium, I'd probably pick tarantulas first because I'm selfish, but humans do rank in my top 100 choices, well ahead of ravens or ocelots.

[ZombieHorde]

119. God asked me to choose one species to go extinct

If this happens, PLEASE choose mosquitoes!

[Lyric]

96. Bugs, no. Kill 'em. Wolves are endangered.

Whether they're still on the list or not doesn't matter--they aren't nearly plentiful enough to justify killing them other than in direct defense of someone's life.

[Firespirit]

97. No, it is not unethical if they are a danger to your household

It is never unethical to protect your life and health, or that of others you are responsible for.

Don't talk about ants to someone in the southeast. "Ant" here means, 95% of the time, the invasive tropical fire ant, which produces a horrible red welt on you that itches and burns for days, can trigger anaphylaxis, and has decimated the native ant species. I can recognize the fuckers on sight, distinguish them from the rarer native ants, and if I so much as see one, I kill it.

I've had issues with mice leaving droppings in the kitchen, which is a severe health risk. The mice can also bring fleas inside, which, if they are rat fleas, can also pose a major health risk. Got two cats, and they help, but we're next to a field, so the cats aren't enough. I don't mind killing them if they come inside. They have plenty of space and have no reason to invade mine.

And as for wolves -- I don't own a gun and have no easy means of killing something like that. But if I saw one and it was putting the outdoor cat in imminent danger (and I could not get the cat to safety in time), and I had the means, yes, I'd shoot the wolf. I would prefer not to, but I would leave it open as an option of last resort. If saving a pet's life is in violation of endangered species law, so be it.

[Fox Mulder]

98. I think it's unethical.

The animals aren't the ones who are trespassing. We are.

[Tindalos]

99. Yes, it is unethical to kill something that "annoys" me.

If it were threatening or endangering me, I might answer differently.

[countryjake]

100. Don't own any property, but our landlord gave me hell for...

moving 58 slugs yesterday. We share several garden patches, and our broccoli has suffered an onslaught this rainy month, so I've been hauling bucketfuls of slugs far into the woods. He snorted when he caught me picking them up and indicated that my efforts were useless, as they reproduce and will make their way back. I told him that if any of the many slugs I've taken on "the walk" make it back to the gardens, they deserve a head of broccoli.

I don't kill ants, either, or mice (tho I have kitties). I've lost many good birds and critters over the years, to various predators, and normally blame my own negligence for those losses. The woods, hills, and fields around here are home to coyotes, cougars, bears, deer, and elk (no wolves that I know of) and if I didn't want to occasionally spot them in the yard or pasture, I'd move to a city.

Now ask me whether I'm annoyed by human animals and what might be ethical in dealing with the ones considered pests.

[Prophet 451]

101. Depends

Ants - genocide the little sods, they'd virtually hollowed out my kitchen wall by the time I was aware of them at my last place.

Wolves - Only if it's them or you.

Mice - Judgement call. Personally, I don't think so but then rats and mice don't bother me in the slightest and my rather dim cat tries to make friends with them (the other is a former stray and death on legs to anything rodent-like but she's almost entirely blind now).

[Indenturedebtor]

104. Mice carry disease, ants can ruin your house

There aren't enough wolves out there and we shouldn't be encroachng on the little habitat they have left.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

109. I Love Torching The Shit Out Of Ants. Run Fuckers! Run!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[leftofthedial]

110. ants, mice and wolves

are not equivalent as pests, nor are they equivalent in terms of the available approaches to dealing with whatever harm they do.

Killing ants may be the only feasible way to deal with them..."non-lethal" approaches don't always work and even those methods usually kill some of the ants in the colony. I was lucky this year in relocating a nest from literally right next to my front door (less than a foot away) using boiling water. Undoubtedly many ants died, but the colony survived. They moved out into the yard.

In some parts of the country, mice carry diseases like hanta virus--eradicating them is not only necessary, it may be legally required. Even an infestation of simple field mice in your home can be an extreme health hazard and a physical hazard as mice chew electrical wires, construction materials, etc. I'm not aware of any viable "non-lethal" approaches to moving mice out of your home once they take up residence.

Wolves are a legitimate threat to livestock. I don't have a good answer other than non-lethal trapping for those whose livelihoods are threatened by wolves. I'm glad wolves have been reintroduced in the west.


On the other hand, it is never unethical to eradicate republicans. They pose a real and imminent danger to the planet and must be eliminated. (I'm not advocating killing anyone--just being facetious. Sort of.)

[drmeow]

116. Annoyance is not a justification

Putting you at risk ... different question.
Also - ants, mice, and wolves are all very different creatures. Ants in the kitchen - fine. Mice in the yard - get over it.

[JANdad]

125. Note to self...

in order to quicky increase post count...post stupid ass polls and respond to ass many stupid ass responses as possible....

CHECK!