SamuelApr 21, 2017

#PSA: Don't feed wild animals. PSA 2: Beasts in cities are still wild animals.

Two gulls just flew *at* a little girl on the station to get at her doughnut and then when she had finished screaming, she fed a bit of it to the gull as an offering. They didn't go away, it attracted more of them. They have learned that humans are essentially harmless; quite rightly, no one hits or frightens them, so they come back for more. Don't feed wild animals.

#anthropogenic #biology #ecology #animals

Show threadSamuel

A few years back I read a paper that attributed increased wolf attacks in Yellowstone and Yukon to positive human interactions. They found workers in lumber camps were feeding the wolves. People were attacked by the wolves once people had stopped feeding them, because the realised that humans were essentially harmless. People would stop their cars to feed wolves in Yellowstone. Gulls aren't as dangerous as wolves but still dangerous; do not feed.

I'll link the paper if I can find it again.

Apr 21, 2017 at 2:35pmWeb
Show threadantlersApr 21, 2017
@patchwork_mind Also feeding animals makes them less cautious around humans but doesn't necessarily change the way their behavior works/how bad we are at understanding their body language which can mean in predators like wolves etc more attacks as well as getting hit by cars more etc
With stuff like geese and some ducks, feeding them can mess up their habits around stuff like migration
Show threadantlersApr 21, 2017
@patchwork_mind I'm not an expert, but my parents are both biologists, so I guess that's my source
Generally don't feed wild animals