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Yes, bobleponge, I know what you mean. I was once passenger in a car that hit a roe deer on a dark country road and had it jammed underneath the vehicle. Of course we stopped and I had to put the poor thing out of its misery, (no way it was going to survive) with a penknife.
My (male) friend was too squeamish to do it but rather agitated - me, all I was thinking of was how safe were we parked as we were, and how could I get the carcass gralloched, home, dressed and butchered ! (That's my gamekeeper upbringing coming out. My mate didn't want blood in his car, so no go.)
I really didn't want to leave it in pain, but that said, I was emotionally distanced enough to a) kill it, b)want to see some good from it's death, and c) think about safety first.
I think many people never get enough practical experience with animals - which always have a tendency to die, in my experience ! - to become pragmatic. The only responses are social/emotional, taking their cues from others and their own innate compassion because they've no behavioural template to work from.
As for people who are cruel to animals.....grrrr ! They're the sort of people, if you have to explain right and wrong to them, you'll never manage to teach them. Dangerous people, way off at the other end of the spectrum.
My (male) friend was too squeamish to do it but rather agitated - me, all I was thinking of was how safe were we parked as we were, and how could I get the carcass gralloched, home, dressed and butchered ! (That's my gamekeeper upbringing coming out. My mate didn't want blood in his car, so no go.)
I really didn't want to leave it in pain, but that said, I was emotionally distanced enough to a) kill it, b)want to see some good from it's death, and c) think about safety first.
I think many people never get enough practical experience with animals - which always have a tendency to die, in my experience ! - to become pragmatic. The only responses are social/emotional, taking their cues from others and their own innate compassion because they've no behavioural template to work from.
As for people who are cruel to animals.....grrrr ! They're the sort of people, if you have to explain right and wrong to them, you'll never manage to teach them. Dangerous people, way off at the other end of the spectrum.
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