Responsible Stewardship
of Our Ducks
A Duck Feeding...Naturally!...at Cypress Lake
I am a grazer...please don't give me "people food"!
Here
in The Woodlands, you can go to almost any of our lakes or ponds and
find ducks. They are such
endearing creatures, it's easy to
mistakenly think of them as neighborhood "pets"...but, they are not!
They are wild
animals and we should treat them as such. That means; no feeding the ducks your stale bread or lunch leftovers.
Feeding ducks
for your own amusement is a selfish act, as it robs them of their "wild
nature" and can also
make them dependent on humans.
Ducks that are accustomed to handouts can become unnaturally aggressive
towards people. (If you've ever
tried to have a picnic and had a duck harass you relentlessly, you know
what
I mean!)
How Does Feeding Harm Ducks...?
Physical Deformity
From the
biological standpoint, "people food" is not healthy for ducks. When
young ducks eat
a diet high in protein, as is
supplied by bread, rice and other human food, they may develop a
deformity called "angel wing",
in which the wing sticks out at an
improper angle. The bird is left unable to fly and vulnerable to injury
and predation.
Wild ducks are grazers and should eat natural vegetation (like the one pictured above!).
Wikipedia provides more info on "Angel Wing":
"Angel Wing is a disease that affects waterfowl, primarily geese and ducks. The disease manifests as an incurable anatomical
condition which is acquired in young birds. Due to a high-calorie diet, especially
one high in proteins and/or low in vitamin D , vitamin E and
manganese, one or both carpus (wrist)
joints are retarded in their development relative
to the rest of the wing; for reasons
unknown, if only one wing is affected it is usually the left one. The
result is a wrist
which is twisted outwards and unable
to perform its usual function. Angel wing symptoms include stripped
remiges (flight feathers) in the wrist area, or remiges protruding from wings at odd angles.
In adult birds
the disease is incurable and usually leads to an early death as affected
birds are rendered
effectively or totally flightless.
In young birds wrapping the wing and binding it against the bird's
flank, together with
feeding the bird a more natural
diet, can reverse the damage.
There are two basic theories concerning the cause of Angel Wing:
The first involves
too much protein and the second involves too many sugars. Angel Wing is
not generally observed
in waterfowl not residing near
humans, and the disease can often be observed in areas where geese or
ducks are excessively
fed bread. To prevent Angel Wing, waterfowl should not be fed bread, popcorn or other human foodstuffs.
"
Population
With the change of
the seasons, waterfowl naturally migrate from different areas of the
country to search
for food in warmer climates.
Feeding them disrupts this natural pattern. Waterfowl populations also
become unnaturally
large when they are fed by people
and their numbers may increase to a level that cannot be sustained by the natural
food sources in the lakes and ponds.
Pollution and Disease
Overcrowded
conditions cause excess waste to build up in small areas, contaminating
the water and the land.
This waste causes harmful algal
blooms, and excess food may sink to the bottom of the water and rot.
Exposure to concentrated
waste can cause increased disease
among the waterfowl, such as botulism and avian cholera. Diseases can
spread quickly
through dense populations of
human-fed waterfowl, already weakened by malnutrition and stress.
Additionally, uneaten
bread in the water can also produce
botulism, which can kill other wildlife including turtles and fish.
*Information from "Volunteers for Wildlife" (www.volunteersforwildlife.org) and the "Central Park Conservancy", NYC: the people who manage Central Park's duck population.
Yes, they ARE cute!...but please put their welfare first and don't
feed them.
Signs posted by our Parks Department prohibit this.
