If, at first sight, feeding wild animals, including birds, seems a good thing to do, it often harms them and makes them dependent on humans. Waterfowl attracted with food to stay close to people become weak and they lose a significant part of their instincts.
"A situation where waterfowl do not fly to southern areas has a devastating effect on them and it can even kill them at worst. This is due to the fact that when weather gets colder and the availability of natural food decreases, they get into difficulties in our conditions," said Tõnu Talvi, Chief Specialist of Nature Conservation of the Environmental Board.
Birds that give up migration become easy prey for predators. Waterfowl, that are unusually tightly together in places of food, are more likely to become infected and spread diseases and parasites to each other and to humans.
It is the best for waterfowl to behave according to the natural stimuli that have developed over the millennia. When winter arrives and the natural food base decreases, it is the best for them to fly to more suitable areas for wintering.
Further information:
Tõnu Talvi
Chief Specialist of Nature Conservation of the Environmental Board
tonu.talvi@keskkonnaamet.ee
501 6869
