A City Near Toronto Is Warning People To Stop Feeding Wild Animals & You Could Get Fined
Don't feed the ducks! 🦆
You know spring is just around the corner when cute and cuddly animals start to return to Ontario and come out of hibernation. But you might want to think twice about feeding them.
On Thursday, April 7, the City of Mississauga warned people through a press release to stop feeding wildlife as species like chipmunks, squirrels and robins are becoming dependent on us for food.
"If you're feeding wild animals food like bread, nuts or leftovers, chances are, someone else is too. It only conditions these animals to rely on humans to provide them food," they wrote.
According to the city, you could get slapped with a minimum $300 fine under the Animal Care and Control By-law. This fine could also get handed out to anyone who leaves food out or tosses out their food waste in natural areas.
But there are other reasons why feeding these animals could prove harmful. Here's what the city had to say about why it's bad for wildlife:
- More diseases could be spread because they'll gather in large groups when food is easily available to them
- Animals could also start to be more comfortable around people, and start to approach you due to a lack of fear
- Wildlife can also get sick because they may stop looking for food naturally and start to depend on artificial sources of food
Think it won't affect you? Think again, because the city also listed a bunch of negative impacts on people if you give these animals something to eat.
So you might want to think twice before feeding those ducks.