Observing wildlife in public parks and ponds can be a wonderful pastime for all members of the family; however, interacting with wildlife can have a negative effect on the health of the animal, and the environment. When people feed wildlife, wild animals can quickly become reliant on the new, abundant food source. When this dependency occurs, animals are less likely to rely on their instinctual foraging and scavenging techniques to find the food that makes up their natural diet in their environment. Over time, human interaction with wildlife can wear down their instinctual distrust of predators, and cause a series of other issues, including wildlife overpopulation that leads to increase in competition for space and natural resources.
If you still wish to offer food to wildlife, please keep in mind that wildlife thrive on a varied diet. Instead of bread and/or other processed foods, consider offering waterfowl small amounts (snack size) of healthy options such as dark/leafy greens (kale, collard greens, dandelions that have not been treated with chemicals), small amounts of whole grains, dried insects (mealworms, crickets), or waterfowl-specific pelleted diets that are readily available at most farm-supply stores.
Avoid offering foods that may attract other animals, such as raccoons, opossums, and rats. Additionally, try to offer foods to wildlife during colder seasons, as natural food sources are scarcer than during the abundance of spring and summer.
We hope that everyone can find joy in observing these animals in their natural habitat without human influence, and keeping wildlife WILD!
For further reading:
https://www.wildlifecenter.org/problem-feeding-ducks
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/5492.htm