Don't feed wildlife

[judyg]

Anyone putting food out to coax wildlife into their camp for closer viewing should re-think that idea.
(1) People food is not good for wild animals.
(2) Animals who come into camps in searching for food become a nuisance and may need to be destroyed.

Do you really want to look up to see a coyote eyeing your lunch?
I've been in a situation where a raven swooped in & flew off with a sandwich, then came back for the bag of chips and continued to swoop in until eating outside was impossible.
Imagine such a raven at an Ehrenberg or Quartzsite outdoor group meal....

 

[Almost There]

Imagine such a raven at an Ehrenberg or Quartzsite outdoor group meal....

Hahaha....a raven wouldn't stand a chance at an Ehrenberg/Quartzite outdoor group meal....you haven't seen us....  


Besides, the dogs in camp would have at it first!

But yes, feeding wildlife, either deliberately or accidentally is never a good thing.

A fed bear is a dead bear is a common saying and ever so true.

 

[TrainChaser]

Wild animals are not pets. You're not even supposed to feed or pet service animals. Some people are so divorced from reality that you wonder about their sanity.

 

[lenny flank]

It's illegal in most areas. For good reason.

 

[RollingOm]

Anyone putting food out to coax wildlife into their camp for closer viewing should re-think that idea.
(1) People food is not good for wild animals.
(2) Animals who come into camps in searching for food become a nuisance and may need to be destroyed.

Not a good idea! Last summer I was camping with a friend, then he started feeding spagetti to the chipmunks, so that he could get a close up photo. He would throw the spagetti next to my tent, so I picked up my stuff and moved to another campsite. I wasn't going to risk it the bears sniffing around my tent at night; however I came back the following day because it sucks camping alone 

I know, I know, I have to grow up and toughen up.

 

[highdesertranger]

first I would have told them to stop it and clean up whatever they threw out there. if they refused then I would have moved. we need to speak up when we see bad behavior. highdesertranger

 

[rm.w/aview]

first I would have told them to stop it and clean up whatever they threw out there.  if they refused then I would have moved.  we need to speak up when we see bad behavior.  highdesertranger

Please speak up! This ranks with pack it in pack it out, if not more when you think of the following camper and the returning animal that relates human to food, or as food. Break ranks with society, think of someone else.

 

[mayble]

What about the birds?
Lots of RVers routinely set up feeding stations, either seed or hummingbird nectar, around their campsite.  
Probably wouldn't want to do it in bear country.

 

[sreesekelley]

What about the birds?
Lots of RVers routinely set up feeding stations, either seed or hummingbird nectar, around their campsite.  
Probably wouldn't want to do it in bear country.

The marina advises birds not to eat people food

 

[TrainChaser]

People often have a problem thinking things through:

1. A co-worker and his wife live in Olympia, WA and they fed raccoons. They would buy a bunch of whole raw chickens, and spread them out on their lawn. It reached the point where they would have about fifty raccoons coming for the chickens.
Thought: most of the rabies here is found in bats, but what if it got into the local raccoons? Although all mammals are susceptible to rabies, only a few species are important as reservoirs for the disease: raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes.

2. I have a friend who insists on buying corn and putting it out for the deer. Her neighbors figured out what she was doing, and guess what happened during hunting season? Yep!

 

[Linda Cripple-Creek]

In the southern Appalachian mountains in VA there is an epidemic of rabies in the raccoon population. An 80 yr old neighbor was sweeping her porch and was bitten. She survived but it was a long painful hospital stay.

 

[Jacky_123]

You actually have a good point there.

 

[Jacky_123]

You actually have a good point there. I've seen a lot of households destroyed because of the animals that were looking for food. From the perspective of a guy that works for a wildlife removal company this is great, because more animals get into camps, and houses the more work I have. But on the other hand, this has a big influence on the wildlife, maybe we can't feel it, but trust me there is a big side effect. So I hope that you will understand that feeding wild animals is not the best idea.

 

[LERCA]

I think a lot of people just don’t understand. They love animals, many of us do,but they are causing their eventual death. It is not a kindness to the animals to feed them and make them unafraid of humans. It’s so frustrating to those of us who love wildlife.

We are having an insane problem with coyotes eating pets daily because they have been pushed out of their habitats due to over-building. And there are actually people who leave food for them to encourage them which makes them fearless and dangerous to domestic animals. Those people are causing them to eventually be culled. I’ve read many articles about bears being killed in national parks because of idiots leaving food out.

 

[thegoodtom1]

Food of any kind (Human or not) is detrimental to wildlife. A hummingbird travels from food source to food source to live. If a food source is taken away, they may die before finding a replacement. Nature has an equilibrium that gets upset when you add or remove a food. A small but lasting contribution can work its way around the entire food web causing drastic changes when removed. Anyone thinking about feeding wildlife should consider this. Unfortunately, society has urbanized and forgotten their connection to nature. Educating those who do not understand, not chastising them, will provide a better solution.

 

[RoamerRV428]

I will continue to throw a hunk of leftover bread to a bird or the like. I enjoy doing just that sometimes.

but no 'feeding stations' or constant feeding. That doesn't help wildlife at all truly. It can cause more harm than good easily, but a little handout now and then, sure am gonna do it. But not on a constant crazy scale of being a food station. I agree with not feeding like that but every now and then I am gonna fling some bait shrimp to a seagull LOL

 

[thegoodtom1]

Bait shrimp will make them a brazen nuisance to the next fisherman. Bread, being processed, is like giving them a drug. We refine tastes to an art that they can only get from humans. Add to that their gut biome, not designed for the food. Your innocent 'help' feeding throws off their entire week. Just saying

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

It's not just the birdies and bunnies that you are attracting to your food offering: rats, mice, raccoons, skunks, and even bears are attracted to the same feast.
I do not want to attract any of them to my camp.

 

[JasonMcD]

Even something that seems harmless, like feeding birds can have an impact on the ecosystem. The same feed can bring in mice, which bring in snakes which bring in coyotes..and it goes on and on. A butterfly effect if you will.

 

[Cammalu]

I want all the animals in my camp. Well, maybe not the bears..