Feeding Wild Animals Begging For Food Might Lead to Deers That Harass People 10 Years From Now

According to recent studies from University College Dublin, the practice of feeding wild animals poses a significant risk to both human and animal welfare because it may be driving the artificial selection of harassing behavior in some species.

Researchers from the University of Central Florida discovered that fawns from mothers who frequently approached visitors to beg for food were noticeably heavier than those whose mothers rarely interacted with people. The study was based on the fallow deer population in Phoenix Park, Dublin, the largest walled park in any capital city in Europe and hosts approximately 10 million visitors annually.

The 134 fawns that were measured all came from mothers who had an equal opportunity to approach people, were from the same herds, and were spread out over the same grazing areas, making begging behavior the only factor that could account for the disparity in birth weight.

Begging Behavioral Trait

According to Laura Griffin, lead author of the paper, the research links this begging behavior to animals with stronger personality types, which could potentially lead to some animals acting aggressively to get food.

Griffin, a researcher from the UCD Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behavior, warned that the artificial selection that her team has highlighted in the study poses a significant risk of this herd developing strong habits over time.

She continued by saying that if no action is taken, deer could end up harassing people regularly in 10 years because the bravest individuals have been chosen, which poses serious risks to both humans and animals.

Griffin continued, saying it makes sense that if this is happening in this population, it is most likely true for other species as well.

Beggar Deers of Phoenix Park

Three categories were found to apply to the entire deer population in Phoenix Park. These are Rare beggars, occasional beggars, and consistent beggars, with about 24 % consistently begging for food.

Unsurprisingly, the deer classified as frequent and infrequent beggars had a significantly different diet from those who begged more frequently. They received the greatest amount of human food, including bread, carrots, crisps, apples, and biscuits.

The Office of Public Works forbids feeding the deer in Phoenix Park, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, more people visited the park and interacted with the deer.

Animal Health and Welfare

Griffin claims in their study that the behavior has a wide range of effects on the health and welfare of the animals, including worries over changes in the animal's natural behaviors, an increase in stress, and effects on their health.

The animals are now brazen as a result, which makes it challenging to remove them from busy areas with lots of people around because they won't leave until they get fed.

More than 200 people were hurt by deer in Japan's Nara Park in 2019, which is a well-known tourist destination and home to 1,200 wild, free-roaming deer. As a result, the authorities issued strict safety guidelines to stop further injuries.

For the Clicks

According to Griffin, hand-feeding wild animals has grown in popularity recently. People frequently claim that doing so gives them a connection with the animals, that they feel as though they are offering to help them in a certain way, and it also makes for interesting social media content. Images and videos of people feeding animals frequently become popular on social media.

However, people must take a moment to consider how these exchanges are impacting the wildlife involved, especially given that these interactions are frequently self-motivated, and test strategies for lessening their influence through public education that can also be used to address other sites facing similar interactions, Phys Org reports.