Katy Payne, e-Marketing Assistant, No Phone Number Available
Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at Noon
If you've ever visited Manito Park's Mirror Pond chances are you've seen people feeding the ducks.
Those who feed them may think they are doing the ducks a favor or even helping them survive by offering bread, potato chips and other human food. And while ducks seem to love bread, it's not nutritious for them and generally just fills them up. In some cases they become too fat to fly!
Ducks in Mirror Pond are wild birds that should not rely on humans to feed them. When ducks become tame and used to humans they may not be able to protect themselves from predators. They also need to learn how to get their own food.
And there's a significant human health concern as well. Duck droppings can contain bacteria that is not healthy for humans. Too much bacteria in the water and on the land where ducks congregate can be detrimental to human health.
So, go ahead and watch the ducks, but remember they are wild, and you can help keep them wild and healthy by not feeding them.
