Feeding wildlife can lead to several serious problems:

• Human food is not healthy for wild animals, and they do not need food from humans to survive. Wild animals have specialized diets, and they can become malnourished or die if fed the wrong foods. Also, animals cannot distinguish food from wrappers or foil and can get sick eating these items.
• Feeding leads to public health concerns. Too many animals in one place increases the chance of disease transmission to people and among other wildlife.
• Animals accustomed to people often lose their fear of people and can become aggressive. Those that become too aggressive may have to be destroyed to protect people and property.

How You Can Help

Many people enjoy living near and watching wildlife. You can help keep animals wild by keeping the following tips in mind. 

• Do not encourage wildlife by feeding or leaving food for them.
• Don't allow bird food to accumulate on the ground.
• Don't place food scraps in gardens or compost bins and use a closed compost bin.
• Keep pet food and water containers indoors, especially at night.
• Use metal or durable plastic trash containers with tight fitting lids.

Thank you for your cooperation!