Let wildlife be wild

Seeing a native animal in the wild is something special and something that we shouldn’t take for granted. It's a sign that nature is alive and well. Approaching them too closely or too often can threaten their survival by disrupting resting, mating or feeding or disturbing efforts to take care of young. We need to remember that unlike livestock and domestic pets, wildlife can be stressed by the presence of humans (we are considered predators).

Wildlife can also become accustomed to being around people and lose the very thing that makes them special - their wildness. Remember the bush is their home; you are visiting so keep a respectful distance and try to avoid disturbing them.

Approaching wild animals might also result in an injury to you. Never try to pat or handle wild animals. Nearly any wild animal, no matter how timid or small, is capable of inflicting injury. Some wildlife also carry diseases that can be transferred to people so you need to be careful.

We also need to be mindful of our impacts on wildlife habitat. Dead logs and rocks are critical to the survival of many small animals. They provide homes and food to an enormous number of living things. Remember to leave rocks and logs as they are. When camping, bring your own firewood, take your rubbish home with you and don’t use detergents in or near our rivers or creeks.

There are plenty of other ways in which you can get up close to wildlife without harming them. Visits to local zoos or wildlife parks are a great way to see and learn about wildlife. Another positive way to have close contact with wild animals is to volunteer at your local wildlife shelter, where you’ll find a range of injured or sick wildlife in need of a little human help. For more information on wildlife shelters in your area, please visit the wildlife rehabilitation section.

Let wildlife feed themselves

Please don’t feed wildlife. Free-ranging wildlife rarely (if ever) need to be fed by humans. If there is wildlife on your property or if you see wildlife in a park or reserve, you can rest assured there is plenty of food available, or the animals simply wouldn’t be there. Wildlife has existed for thousands of years without the need for us to feed them. This is still the case.

Feeding wildlife can distort the normal abundance of animals that can be sustained in an area. This can result in wildlife damaging their habitat which reduces the survival prospects for all wildlife. Even after major events such as bushfires, there is usually enough food available to feed surviving animals.

Animals that have been fed over time may also become dependent on this food source, so that when the feeding stops (eg. if you go on holidays or move house), the animals may starve because they have lost the instinct to fend for themselves.

We also need to be mindful that human food is not necessarily good wildlife food. Native animals have adapted to a particular diet over many years. Altering or supplementing their diets with foods that they wouldn’t otherwise eat, or by increasing quantities of some foods can have negative effects on their health. For example, wallabies fed bread can develop a serious disease of the jaw that often results in the death of the animal.

Unnatural congregations of wildlife at feeding points can also result in the spread of diseases (some of these can be transferred to people) or make the animals vulnerable to predators.

For more information on why we shouldn’t feed wildlife, see the Feeding Wildlife In Backyards Fact Sheet

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