Quote:
Originally Posted by CFrance
Then we shouldn't feed the birds and squirrels either!
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I believe we should not do so, Cyn.
We fed the Goldfinches in our suburb up North- we started as an act of compassion during a brutal icy winter.
Eventually, they became year round visitors - and dependent upon us. They were at the feeder continually in droves. They were PRETTY and seeing them made my day. I came to rather consider them my "pets'.
We had lots of Morning Doves as well, who rummaged through what dropped to the ground. I assumed they cleaned up the leftovers, as i had very little clean up to attend to.
What I did not know until much later was that the feeder was also attracting and feeding voles and field mice. Soon they built colonies.
We realized it the second Spring, once the snow melted.
We discovered that over our entire corner lot, the sod was riddled with tunnels along which the grass died and that voles/mice tunnels had undermined our front sidewalk. With the spring rains, it began to crack and tilt. It cost $$$$ to restore the sod and concrete damage and was a major undertaking.
The voles would NOT have taken up residence, would NOT have multiplied their numbers to such a degree if there was no steady FOOD source- that is, No bird feeder.
Feeding the birds was not the responsible idea I thought it was. I messed with their natural pattern, basically because by doing so, it made ME FEEL better.
In reality, what began as an act of compassion, was really more a self indulgence that upset the natural order.
There was ample forest preserve nearby and a heavily wooded championship golf course across the street. A source of natural food for them to eat…. and ample shelter…. to allow Nature to take it's course.
( I should also mention the feeder became a target for hawks to easily pick off the finches. Horrifying.)
Here in The Villages, I truly believe there is ample enough green area and forage food for the critters who live here.
And my story of misguided intention is WHY I do not favor leaving food out in the open.
We were fortunate enough that what we had were voles… they could easily have been rats instead.
And, we did not trap and relocate the overpopulation of vermin… we eliminated the steady food source, then eradicated them…. even though they too, 'had a right to live'.
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I think the draw here (and I can empathize) is that these animals are 'kitties' and are cute.
If they were not quite so cuddly looking or were downright ugly, would people feel as compelled to be food providers?
The concern I had, prompting me to post, was not only the regularly supplied food station.
If one wants to personally pay for trap, health check, neuter and release I have no problem. This endeavor of course would carry the additional responsibility of paying for treatment of those trapped animals found with parasites or worse, disease- IF they can be saved, AND paying for euthanasia for those animals trapped, then found suffering beyond any help.
BUT- the PETA guidelines are, DON'T feed them unless you intend to trap within a short period of time.
Feeding feral cats for a YEAR facilitates more litters being born than would occur if the cats foraged on their own.
A lean food source IS Nature's birth control.