Rethinking How Best to Help

On numerous occasions I have had to defend the work of wildlife rehabilitators from people who believe that rehabilitation was interfering with the natural selection of wildlife. That same argument has been made for bird and squirrel feeders, water containers and nest boxes. Let nature take its course and don’t meddle.

I looked at my rehabilitation work and the placement of feeders, birdbaths and nest boxes as my contribution to offset the destruction of habitat cause by my actions. I choose to drive a car. In order to have a safe transportation system, roads must be built and maintained that may cut across wildlife corridors or destroy habitats in their entirety. My home requires construction materials such as wood, plastics and metals whose manufacturing processes involves logging, extracting and chemical treatments that can alter the landscape and potentially leach toxins into the environment. The list goes on from food I eat, the electricity I use, the clothes I wear to the activities I participate in. I felt that my rehabilitation work and feeders/nest boxes I provided are actions that are ethical and appropriate.

But I do have some reservations. If my ultimate intent is for wildlife to live and thrive in natural habitats would not a better option be to restore my yard into a natural wildlife environment? Am I creating and promoting a situation where birds and other animals depend upon commercially grown seeds and suet cakes rather than their native food? Am I promoting wildlife overpopulation in my neighborhood by providing an artificial food source far in excess of what nature would provide?  

Wildlife experts caution against the use of shelled corn for wildlife. Acidosis (Grain Overload) and Enterotoxemia (Overeating Disease) have been found in whitetail deer populations. Both diseases can cause digestive and intestinal distress resulting in diarrhea, failing coordination and death. Yet corn is a frequently found food in feeders and sold in large quantities at feed stores. In addition, poor maintenance of feeders and bird baths allow for the establishment and growth of e-coli and other pathological bacteria detrimental to a healthy wildlife population.

When I think about the potential risks involve, plus the large sums of money spent annually to refill feeders and replace equipment, perhaps applying that money towards landscape improvements would be a better alternative. Many local conservation districts, land conservancies and extension services offer workshops on native landscaping. Greenhouses and landscape designers have stepped up to offer native plants and garden design alternatives to attract butterflies, birds and small animals. Even the National Wildlife Federation sponsors a Certified Wildlife Habitat program that provides resources on making your yard wildlife friendly.

With the advent of fall, it is too late to stop the filling of feeders and water bowls, depriving my wildlife with a known food source for the upcoming winter. But the winter does afford me months in which to plan changes to the backyard, researching and ordering appropriate shrubs, trees and flowers to plant next spring.