You Can Really Go to Jail for Scaring a Pigeon in Boston, Massachusetts

Do you remember the scene in Big Daddy when Adam Sandler tells Frankenstein to go play with the pigeons?

The kid proceeds to run through puddles and chase a bunch of pigeons into the sky.

It is a classic scene, and SO relatable. As a kid, you would see a pigeon and just run at it like it was a game.

Here is something absolutely wild...that is illegal.

Now, it does make total sense. No one should torment any kind of animal (even a stinky pigeon). So yelling and running at pigeons in Boston, although funny and common for kids, is illegal and punishable, more than you probably think.

If you were caught yelling or scaring a pigeon in Boston, you could be fined $20 or jailed for one month. Yes, seriously. Jail for one month.

According to the Massachusetts Legislation website:

Section 132. Whoever wilfully kills pigeons upon, or frightens them from, beds which have been made for the purpose of taking them in nets, by any method, within one hundred rods of the same, except on land lawfully occupied by himself, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one month or by a fine of not more than twenty dollars, and shall also be liable for the actual damages to the owner or occupant of such beds.

I have never heard of this being enforced. I would love to know if anyone has ever experienced any kind of warning, fine, or even jail time for this behavior.

Let's face it. You have done it. I have done it. Not to be rude to the pigeon, per se, but to scare one away from your car or the fries you just spilled? Probably.

What do you think of this? Have you heard of this law or seen anyone get served justice for this behavior?