Pigeon Hit and Run

As I was cycling back from uni today, I swerved to avoid some geese and before I knew it, I had run over a pigeon. I pedaled fast, not looking back to see what became of the pigeon. It immediately occurred to me that there was nothing to be done. There were a few pedestrians 20-30 metres behind and I suppose they would have seen or heard what happened. If they were the animal-loving types, they would have probably thought me a beast for pedaling on. But, what was I supposed to do? Pigeons are supposed to fly away when you approach and I wasn't travelling at great speed. I feel like a hitter-and-runner but I don't know what I could have done except stop, express some contrition for the benefit of the pedestrians behind me and placed the injured pigeon off the path. I can rationalize as much as I like by saying that humans kills animals on an industrial scale to whet their appetite for food and other things. But hurting another tangibly living being for no reason is never easy. I don't know how people who hunt for sport do what they do.
Eastville Park, which I cycle through every day on my way to uni, feels like a minefield. Last year, I ran a dog into the river, so now I am extra careful around dogs. So now there is another species that I have to watch out for apart from people, children, dogs, geese. Pigeons!