[Flycatcher]

"Fingers crossed that this cold snap will kill them. I don't have the heart to beat one to death.

Soft heart, yet no resolve to take the required action. This sort of hand-wringing is a problem all across the world. In Australia, for example, many people still refuse to kill invasive cane toads, yet these amphibians wreak havoc in Queensland.

Here in America, many soft hearts refuse to take the necessary steps to cull our feral horses and burros.

Sadly, looking the other way and hoping someone else will solve the problem doesn't make the problem go away.

[marktwain]

“Here in America, many soft hearts refuse to take the necessary steps to cull our feral horses and burros.”

It is the feminization of the culture. They refuse to take necessary actions. A friend told me that some of the best tacos he ever had were burro tacos!

[GladesGuru]

“Here in America, many soft hearts refuse to take the necessary steps to cull our feral horses and burros.”

Here is a perhaps more descriptive version:
“Here in America, many soft hearts refuse to take the necessary steps to cull our range maggots.”