It is hard for kids to get quality face time with animals in the city. Many families cannot have pets for a variety of reasons - busy schedules, rentals and stratas that don't allow them, etc. Other than regular sightings of squirrels, crows and seagulls, city kids often don't see wildlife outside of a cage.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons a group of children at Barnet Marine Park felt it was not a big deal to chase down a family of geese and injure a two-day-old gosling. Clearly, they lacked empathy and compassion for these birds.
There is no excuse for what the kids did, but it is important to note that they were unsupervised while they did it.
Why was a group of children, who observers estimated were between the ages of three and eight, wandering around unsupervised in the first place?
It would be much easier for all of us if babies were born completely developed, with the intelligence to care for themselves and the compassion to care for others. But that isn't how it works.
Kids, especially young children, need guidance. They have to be taught not to bite or kick other children, not to torment siblings, not to lie, etc. Most importantly, they need to be taught to empathize with other people and living creatures, as this is an essential element to coexisting in a community.
Having a pet is an easy way for kids to learn empathy - caring for another's needs and forming relationships helps with children's emotional growth.
Even if families cannot have pets, they can take the time to introduce children to animals. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Foster a pet. Or simply take your children to a park and sit with them while they watch the birds and squirrels.
Help them cultivate a sense of familiarity and fondness - at a respectful distance - for other creatures. It will only do them good.
And hopefully, they'll end up in our paper because of their accomplishments - not because they were tormenting the wildlife in a local park.
