Food conditioning

Have you ever fed birds at the park or at the beach? It is so adorable to see birds and other wildlife practically begging and eating out of your hand. Is there anything wrong with feeding animals? Yes. It is very wrong to feed wildlife, and the term is called food conditioning.

Bird waiting for scraps at the Cloisters-New York

Food conditioning is a basic learned behavior that teaches animals to like human food. So what? What's wrong with that? Once an animal is conditioned to receive handouts, their behavior has changed. They will continue to seek out humans for their food.

Birds are everywhere at the Cloisters food court-New York

Even though it is tempting, do not feed the animals. They become a nuisance! They will continue to beg and seek out food.

Pigeons hanging out at Times Square-New York

Helpful tips from the National Park Service website:

How can you help?Black bears, raccoons, coyotes, squirrels, crows and other wildlife are enticed by human food left in campsites, on picnic tables, offered from an outstretched hand, or in litter. Do not feed wildlife! Feeding animals or allowing them access to human food causes a number of problems:

• It changes behavior by causing wild animals to lose their instinctive fear of humans. This lack of fear causes panhandler or "nuisance" animals to be more unpredictable and dangerous when they encounter humans.
• Nuisance animals can damage property and injure people. These animals pose a risk to public safety. They can also teach their cohorts this dangerous behavior. Often, they must be euthanized.
• It transforms wild and healthy animals into habitual beggars. Studies have shown that panhandling animals have a shorter lifespan. Beggar animals may die from ingesting food packaging. Many animals have died a slow and agonizing death from eating plastics and other materials. Many are hit by cars and become easy targets for poachers.
• Food left unattended attracts gulls, ravens and crows to picnic areas and beaches. Our beach areas provide nesting habitat to the federally endangered piping plover. These same birds will prey upon plover eggs.
• Remember, Garbage Kills! 

Source: https://www.nps.gov/slbe/learn/nature/do-not-feed-the-bears.htm