Violence against wildlife should not be tolerated. Period.  In just the last 2 days we witnessed 2 separate incidents at Devil’s Lake State Park where children were attacking wildlife.  In one indecent a pre-teen boy in the south shore beach area of the park found a toad in about an inch of water and began violently kicking at it for fun, while his parents looked on in oblivion.  Of course we stepped in and the mother finally told the child to leave it be. Yesterday we came across a snake that had been just killed on the north shore of the lake.  In this case a school group chaperon told us that one of the children in her group saw the snake swimming in the water, grabbed it by the tail, and then began to violently swing it against a wall, smashing it’s head until it was dead.   What’s going on with these kids?

Most children love animals of course.  Usually the want to simply hug them and hold them and do not intend harm.  Children must be taught that animals can be hurt and can feel pain.  It’s a normal part of learning social behaviors.  Abuse intended to cause pain, injury or death to an animal is a completely different situation and can indicate more serious problems and should be promptly addressed.

What to do

If you see a child harming an animal you should stop the behavior and tell the child “We do NOT hurt animals.” in a serious tone. Remove the animal from harm if necessary and if it’s safe and reasonable to do so. If you do not feel comfortable interjecting yourself, contact the child’s parents, chaperons, or law enforcement.

We invite you to read: Animal Cruelty As A Behavior Indicator from Remarkable Parents for more information.  The behavior we witnessed at Devil’s Lake this week was sad, and sickening.  It should be addressed.

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