Feeding Human Food Unhealthy for Animals 

APP

Islamabad: Human empathy and affection towards animals and wildlife species could be harmful, as human food may cause diseases or damage their health due to its unhealthy nature for animals.

The scenic federal capital, resting close to a living ecosystem of thriving Asian leopards and the foothills of the Himalayan Mountain range, has reported various incidents of human-wildlife conflict as abundant wildlife species live in the Margalla Hills National Park.

An Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) official told APP that the Forest Guards of the Board were repeatedly exhorting the masses to avoid feeding boiled corn or other eatables to monkeys and other animals found in the national park.

“There have been many instances of human-wildlife conflict in the National Park when the monkeys attacked visitors for not feeding them food. This is the ultimate consequence that needs to be prevented,” he added.

The IWMB official mentioned that there was no need for humans to feed monkeys or other wildlife species as they have plenty of prey or food available in their natural ecosystem.

Human intervention damaged this cycle and forced the animals to rely on their feeding, deviating them from their natural system, which was damaged, he added.

He informed that the people visiting Faisal Mosque love to watch spotted deer and zebras in the enclosures on the way to the mosque.

They used to feed buns, biscuits, popcorn, or other eatables to these animals, which had a serious impact on the animal’s health, he added.

The Tufts Wildlife Clinic in Massachusetts, USA, claimed that it was encouraging the masses to take an interest in and appreciate wildlife, but feeding wild animals could lead to injury or disease for the animal.

“People’s food isn’t good for animals. Human foods aren’t nutritious enough for animals and may cause serious health problems. A deformity called ‘angel wing’ is commonly found in ducks, geese, swans, and other waterfowl who are fed white bread, popcorn, crackers, or other people’s food”.

The clinic, on its website, underlined pertinent issues, stating that feeding humans food made the wild animals lose their natural fear of people. “Feeding can make large, potentially dangerous animals too comfortable in residential or recreational areas.

Once animals learn they can panhandle for food, they can become a nuisance or even worse, a safety risk, it said.

It added that feeding wild animals from running vehicles or near vehicles was also dangerous as it could collectively harm animals, people and property.

The IWMB in its Twitter official handle shared that the Board staff on April 27th rescued a Sparrow Hawks chick from Sector  F-7 on a citizen complaint. It encouraged the masses to report any complaints and rescues regarding wildlife to the following contacts: 0309-530-2425 or 051-2601912.