Do Not Feed Marine Wildlife
Feeding marine animals might seem harmless, or even helpful, but it’s not!
Five good reasons why you shouldn’t feed marine wildlife:
- Feeding removes one of the greatest pleasures of venturing into the wild – observing natural behavior. Marine animals that are fed behave completely differently from those that forage on their own.
- Marine animals in the wild have very particular diets. Eating other foods can weaken and sicken wildlife.
- Feeding causes wildlife to lose their natural fear of humans. These animals become easy targets for people who do not respect wildlife and would hurt them intentionally. Also, people who become fearful may injure an animal in an attempt to defend themselves against a mistaken “attack.”
- You always risk injury when you do not keep a respectful distance from marine animals who may misinterpret your actions. Marine animals defend themselves with teeth, spines, venom, and toxins to name a few adaptations. There is no guarantee that a marine animal knows where the food stops and your fingers begin. Sadly, it is usually the animal that loses when the person feeding complains of being “attacked.”
- Feeding causes injuries and harmful interactions between marine animals by forcing competition and confrontation among individuals and species which otherwise would not interact.
