Sometimes, good intentions can have unintended consequences, which is why we must think carefully before taking actions that will have an impact on animal lives.
This month, I’d like to address all our kind-hearted readers who visit their local parks and feed the ducks and geese. While I understand the joy in interacting with waterfowl, assuming we are doing something good, we might be actually harming them.
An inappropriate diet (like bread) can cause birds to develop “angel wing,” which is an irreversible deformity preventing flight. They won’t be able to migrate, adding to the park’s population and making them vulnerable to predators.
They will struggle to survive in response to the temperature changes, compete for food with other waterfowl causing injuries from aggression, risk getting lung infections due to moldy leftovers, and place their ducklings and goslings in similar jeopardy.
Feeding waterfowl accustoms them to lose their fear of humans, exposing them to risks from anglers who are fishing nearby. Ducks and geese routinely get entangled in discarded fishing line or injured by hooks.
I’ve seen them lose appendages (feet) due to restricted blood flow, strangled, suffer from broken wings, infections from untreated wounds; and hooked in the eye, mouth or other body part. Many migratory birds are federally protected and, if captured, may only be treated by veterinarians licensed to handle wildlife—and our community has only a limited number of them.
When there is an overabundance of waterfowl in a pond, their droppings can cause summer algae blooms, further exacerbated by our extreme temperatures. E-coli counts can also increase, posing another hazard.
Feeding is prohibited by ordinance in many local jurisdictions. For those who choose to do so despite the risk of a citation, please consider using appropriate, nutritious feed formulated for waterfowl—or offer vegetables such as peas and leafy greens and avoid feeding them near areas where anglers are fishing.
Our goal should be to prevent long-term health problems, avoid potential risks to humans from any transferable disease, and not cause the degradation of the habitat we all share.
