Begging Wildlife

A raccoon tiptoeing near our campfire the other night surprised and delighted all of the volunteers gathered for a hot dog roast at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge.  For years we’ve seen raccoon tracks, and occasionally we catch a glimpse of one.  But, unlike other raccoons on the Refuge, this animal lingered, obviously not shy around people.

“This animal has been fed before!” someone said.

No one would consider handing a morsel of food to a snake.  Even snake lovers scoff at the idea.  But a furry mammal pleading for a crumb tears at the heart.  People identify with “cute.”

Feeding wildlife on a national wildlife refuge and many other facilities is prohibited.  Feeding wildlife in general is discouraged.  “When you feed animals,” says biologist Ann Steffler, “you’re possibly giving them a death sentence depending on how severe their change in behavior actually is.”

Advice and Warnings

But despite the advice, the warnings, and the wisdom, people still insist on feeding wild animals.  At one time or another, we’ve probably all been guilty of it.

As the raccoon loitered nearby, Chuck lobbed a pebble near it to scare it away.  Instead of running, however, the raccoon rushed toward it as if expecting a treat.  Someone else tossed a rock closer to the animal, but again it ran toward it, conditioned to thinking food was coming its way.

Conserving Energy

“All wildlife search for food with a goal of conserving energy,” says Ann.  “So, if a raccoon has found an easy food source such as human handouts that require less energy than natural foraging, he is going to stay with that method.”

Over time, according to Ann, the animal’s behavior changes as a result of the negative conditioning, and the raccoon will prefer easy handouts to natural behavior. The result is a nuisance animal that does not forage, instead becoming attracted to an unsuitable diet, possibly causing the animal to be relocated or euthanized.

Becoming a Pest

Animal Trap

No doubt this raccoon had become a pest when fed by well-meaning persons and had been captured and released at Imperial.  Now, alienated from its free lunch, the animal resorted to the only means it was accustomed to for gathering food — begging. Often those who lose a pet to a wild animal are the very ones who fed and tamed that animal to begin with.

Chuck fetched a canister of bear spray from our trailer and sent a spritz in the raccoon’s direction, sending the animal lumbering off a bit.  But soon it returned, eager once again for a handout.

Rather than delight at viewing wildlife, our group now felt sad for this animal.    “It’s up to we humans–” says Ann, “supposedly the more intelligent species — not to change the behavior of wildlife by making them dependent on our handouts!”

Leave a Comment