I would like to express my concern about a recent article titled, “A man and his bird,” by Debra Sund. The article portrays a man’s rewarding friendship with a wild partridge, and in doing so, fails to equally address potential negative effects. I believe the article wrongly encourages people to feed wild animals by emphasizing the bond which developed between the man and the bird.

It is not natural for wild animals to interact “playfully” with humans or to do tricks for them. Such behavior, often induced by the prospect of food as a reward, results in more harm than good. Wild animals continually encouraged to approach people — especially with the intention of receiving food — may by viewed as dangerous, or a nuisance by others.

Acadia National Park is currently home to one such animal which has involuntarily become a statistic of people’s intended kindness. For some time people fed foxes in the park, and today at least one fox still approaches cars.

While this may seeme cute to some people, I prefer to view it as an avoided tragedy. The fox no longer is behaving naturally — it is not hunting and avoiding people as most foxes do. Some residents are concerned the fox has rabies.

George Sullivan, who has made friends with the partridge, admits the partridge’s behavior “… just isn’t normal,” and yet he and others continue interacting too closely with wildlife.

Another point he acknowleges, and I would like to emphasize is that by teaching the bird to fear humans less, he is also putting the bird in danger. Hunters will have an easier time approaching any animal which has learned to trust people.

Inevitably, as the land becomes increasing developed, close encounters between animals and people will increase. As humans, I feel we should allow wildlife to remain wild by avoiding, whenever possible, unnecessary and potentially harmful interations with them.

Before we decide to toss just one piece of bread to a seagull or provide a raccoon with some leftover turkey, we must remind ourselves of how much nature has already been disturbed. Judy Books Bar Harbor