Wild Animals
Wild animals are beautiful and fun to observe. However, as we build homes close to
their habitat, we or our pets may come into contact with them. Their natural and
normal behavior may be at odds with our lifestyle, so here are some helpful
hints for how to coexist peacefully. The most important one is:
Never feed wild animals!
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Why is feeding wild animals bad?
There are several reasons:
- Feeding wild animals atracts them to your home. This exposes you and your pets
to them, including diseases they may carry, such as rabies.
- Feeding wild animals makes them dependent on this source of food.
This alters their natural behavior, and if the food suddenly stops, they can
starve.
- Even healthy wild animals can be dangerous and aggressive. They can
attack you or your pets, and can invade and damage your home. Although
the likelihood of this is small, it is increased if they are attracted to
your home by food.
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What should I do?
- Never feed wild animals, intentionally or unintentionally.
- Certainly never put out food for them, such as dog kibble.
- Try to avoid keeping garbage, pet food, or bird seed where
they might be accessible to wild animals. Remember that some
wild animals, particularly raccoons, are very intelligent
and can defeat a wide variety of safeguards. The best place for
that bag of dog food is where it is out of sight and out of scent -
meaning inside the house.
- If wild animals come into your yard, admire them from a distance, preferably
inside your home. Take all the photographs you want.
- Be sure to educate your children about the potential problems that wild animals
can cause. Be sure to also explain that wild animals have every right to exist
and do what they do naturally. When wild animals and humans come into conflict,
it is never the animal's fault!
- Do not leave your pet outside, especially chained, where they cannot escape
from an animal that might come into your yard.
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