Articles & Resources

Feeding Wildlife in Winter
By Melanie Pearson, Director of Animal Care

During winter the desire to feed wildlife increases because of the concern that some animals will not be able to survive the winter without our help. The truth is, the wild animals that live in Connecticut are adapted to life here, whether it is a perfect 70 degrees or a bitter 25 degrees. Feeding wildlife in the winter (or any time of year for that matter) almost always has a negative impact on the animals people are trying to help.

Feeding an unnatural diet to wildlife can make animals sick. Any sudden change in an animal's diet can disrupt the animal's digestive system, causing illness and sometimes death. Providing a feeding station also causes animals to congregate together. Just as humans tend to pass along colds when confined in close quarters, animals are more likely to accquire diseases when gathering in large numbers at feeding stations. In addition to disease, when animals congregate to one food source, competition among them is increased, often resulting in young animals not getting enough food.

Not only is disease a problem for wildlife gathering in one place, but a large group of animals also presents more opportunities for predators. Bird feeders, for instance, often become hunting grounds for birds of prey. Once an owl or a hawk realizes there are always smaller birds in the same place they will continue to return, especially if those birds are many in number and distracted by food.

Providing food for animals in an area that wildlife would otherwise avoid can be a problem for many reasons as well. First, the animal may have to cross roadways to get to this new source of food, increasing the risk of collisions. Also, attracting wildlife to your home or neighborhood increases the chance of the animals access to garbage (in the case of raccoons, skunks, and opossums) or landscaped plants (in the case of deer).

Feeding wildlife near homes also habituates wildlife to human presence. This is bad for the animals and for you. Animals that are habituated to humans tend to be attracted to roads and neighborhoods more often, causing problems previously mentioned. Also, contact with wildlife can spread disease to humans or result in injury. Having wildlife near your home also exposes them to domestic pets. Domestic pets can kill or injure wildlife or contract diseases or injury from them.

Because feeding wildlife is a good way to observe and learn about different animals, the New Canaan Nature Center suggests that if you choose to feed wildlife, you only feed birds. Birdfeeders require the animals to have little contact with humans, therefore the dangers of becoming habituated to human presence is minimized. Be sure to keep your feeders and the area around them clean, as dirty feeders can cause disease. Not only can dirty feeders cause disease, but be sure that the feed you provide is not moldy or wet as this can promote unhealthy conditions for birds as well. You should also provide a water source for the birds at your feeder, because food is not the only commodity that is difficult for wildlife to find in winter. However, keep in mind that you cannot prevent natural predators from preying on the birds at your feeders. You can, however, minimize unnatural predators by not letting your dogs or cats out unattended.