I saw a man kill a pigeon

I am not a fan of pigeons. To me they are like flying rats almost. The Singapore government sees them as pests too. Consequently, they are one of the few non-protected species in Singapore. But seeing someone kill a pigeon before my eyes today shook me. Even pests don’t deserve cruelty. I was walking along the pavement when I saw this old man on a mobility scooter throw uncooked rice to feed chickens. This is technically not allowed in Singapore but I was willing to let it slide given the man’s age. Suddenly, the man took out his walking stick and shooed away pigeons that also came to feast on the rice. Fair enough, I guess? To my horror, he proceeded to whacking a pigeon that somehow got trapped. Is this really happening? He gave it a few solid hits before I managed to gather myself. At this point, the bird couldn’t really fly and it seemed like its wing was broken. I told the man to stop hurting the bird. He had the temerity to reply that it had been eating the food meant for the…