Hence there is no need for us to feed them. In fact, feeding wildlife can lead to undesirable and serious consequences. Here are three reasons why not feeding is actually caring for these animals.
(1) Unsustainable wildlife population growth
Wildlife population size increases as animals breed in response to abundance of food sources. However, this population growth is unsustainable because the natural habitat area supporting the animals remains the same.
Consequently, the increased competition within and among the different animal species may force some animals to venture out of their natural habitat and into human-occupied areas, including urban areas with roads and more pedestrians, which may hinder human activity and also endanger the animals.
(2) A change in wild animals’ natural behaviour
As a result of increased competition, wildlife will have to find new food sources. For example, wild boars are normally shy animals that inhabit dense forests. Feeding them may encourage them to venture out of their natural habitats and into urban areas, putting them in close proximity to humans.
There are other examples of unnatural behaviours induced by feeding such as animals exhibiting increased aggressiveness towards humans in order to obtain food, as the animals learn to associate humans with sources of food. Wild boars and macaques at some of our nature areas have unfortunately learned to snatch plastic bags from visitors or snatch food from opened bags due to this association.
Also, wildlife fed along the roads tend to gather or stay near roads, increasing the chance of roadkill incidents.
(3) Harming the health of local wildlife
The food we give to wildlife such as sweetened pastries or processed food like chips often do not meet their nutritional requirements. These foods may even make animals sick, or susceptible to diseases.
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