What comes to mind when you think of the word “pest?”

There’s many different kinds of animals that fall into this category, such as mosquitos, cockroaches, certain birds, animals in the rodent family, etc. But why do we consider organisms in these categories to be pests?

When you go outside or if you’ve seen this on television, you’ll see a sign at a park sometimes that says, “Don’t feed the birds!” They put these there so people don’t get swarmed by birds asking them for food. Or if you’ve watched Ratatouille (2007), you’ll remember the whole movie was about how humans are disgusted by rats and put out rat poison to kill them if they come by.

Most people are disgusted by these creatures since they often invade houses, steal your food, or try to bite you to sustain themselves. But how come I still have some sympathy for some of them?

Notice how I said ‘some of them.’ I don’t have sympathy for bugs or pests that solely try to bite you and drink your blood or take over your house. This also goes for wasps which are way more aggressive and less merciful than bees.

However, I feel bad for some animals that actually look pretty cute and don’t deserve to be squashed or exterminated. Rats are one example. They can be gross since we don’t know where those guys have been crawling (and the fact that they’re pretty huge), but they’re still mammals with awareness and cute eyes.

This also goes for pigeons, which you can probably see every single day when you go outside. Why should these pretty birds have to be shunned? When did they even start to be considered pests in the first place? Weren’t they used to deliver messages during war? Or deliver messages in general back then?

I can see how bugs can be annoying to see in your house. Nothing wrong with killing a simple fly. On the other hand, it feels excessive to freak out and zap it or squash it. It’s understandable if you have arachnophobia, but still, is there really a need to go berserk about a small spider that is only there to actually help you with eating other potential pests that may come into your home? Either leave it alone or free it with a cup and paper.

As an animal lover, I definitely feel sympathetic for these creatures. Most “pests” or rodents aren’t even going to hurt you most of the time; they’re just hungry or looking for a spot to warm themselves or their babies.

Sometimes there just isn’t a need to freak out so much. If you mind your own business then they’ll mind theirs. (Unless it’s a wasp or other ruthless or annoying animal or insect; those are exceptions).