DON’T FEED BAMBI

No one should blame Rep. Scott Lansley, R-Sabattus, for trying to help out a farmer in his district whose crops were being devoured by deer attracted by feed left out by his neighbors.

A legislative committee rejected his bill, which would have imposed hefty fines for feeding deer or wild turkeys or providing salt for deer. But the committee promised to keep an eye on the problem and urged the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to continue educating the public about the possible harm of feeding deer and turkey.

Lest anyone get the mistaken idea that feeding wildlife is OK, here is what the department says on the subject: “The department acknowledges that most individuals who feed deer are well-intentioned [but] … we are compelled to alert Maine people to the many problems that winter feeding may exert upon deer and their habitat.”

Predation, not starvation, is the main cause of deer mortality, says the department. Coyotes and bobcats and pet dogs can kill even healthy deer when winter feeding keeps them from ranging to safer winter quarters. The warning goes on to say that feeding deer can get them in the way of automobile traffic, help spread Lyme disease, actually promote starvation, and cause indigestion if they are given hay or kitchen scraps.

As for the wild turkeys, feeding them can make them tame and dependent and more vulnerable to predators.

“In general,” says the department, “feeding wildlife in the winter does more for the person doing the feeding than it does for the intended species.”

So much for the kindhearted winter feeding. When it comes to hunting, regulations prohibit baiting of deer or turkeys.

Official advice to avoid feeding wildlife does not extend to the always-popular bird feeders, although some biologists warn that winter feeding can weaken the birds by making them dependent. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife limits itself to warning that bird feeders can attract such dangerous animals as bears and bobcats and that the feeders should be cleaned up in the spring.

While feeding wild animals remains legal, it is not a good idea.