People stop feeding wildlife as winter approaches

fox

As we enter the autumn in the UK a new survey shows that nearly a half of all people no longer feed wildlife and many no longer want to encourage them near to their house. Since the fox attack on two young girls earlier this year, people especially in urban areas have changed the way that they view the local wildlife. fox in particular are the second least liked wildlife species following magpies.

The survey commission by EI Entertainments to publish the release of their latest DVD was undertaken by Opinion Matters in association with the London Wildcare Trusts. It showed that 45% of people do not feed wildlife in their gardens and 32% no longer want to encourage wildlife into their gardens. The survey revealed that 27% of people placed magpies as their least liked species with 18% placing the fox as their least liked species. The survey sampled 1007 adults.

Ted Burden, founder of the London Wildcare Trust, said of the results: “It’s no surprise that people’s attitude towards wildlife has changed since the recent media attention given to foxes, but people need to remember these were isolated incidents. Our top tip for living side-by-side with wildlife safely is to never encourage wild animals into or too near to your home. It’s fine to feed wildlife, they often rely on us, as long as people remember our simple rule, wild animals and people can live together with little impact on each other’s lives.”

Hardening attitudes to wildlife since the fox attack on found the nine-month-old twin baby daughters Lola and Isabella Koupparis in June isn’t confined to just foxes. The survey revealed that people have also stopped feeding hedgehogs and birds. another revealing figure is that since the attack almost 20% of people are afraid of wildlife coming into their gardens. The survey also revealed that almost a half of people would no longer feed birds or wildlife on a visit to their local park. 40% of people said that their view of wildlife changed following the attack.

While the attack on the baby twins in their bedroom was an awful thing to happen it needs to be put into perspective. Attacks by foxes are extremely rare and need to be compared to attacks by dogs. Dogs attack 4,000 people each year and some are fatal. The extreme reaction to this fox attack is out of all proportion to the risks and people seems to have panicked with little regard to the actual risk. As winter approaches many wildlife – especially birds – will be depending on people to make up food supplies to help them through the cold months.

It’s also important the children are brought up with a healthy respect of local wildlife rather than an irrational fear of it. For many children their first experience of wildlife is feeding the birds in the garden or ducks in the park. If parents have an irrational fear of wildlife then this is passed on to the children and will further erode the pleasures and enjoyment of childhood. A healthy respect and awareness of risk is all that is required.

Rather than trying to discourage wildlife into your garden now is the time to be looking at ways to encourage wildlife. Providing safe places for hedgehogs to hibernate, providing fresh food and water for badgers and foxes as well as birds all help to maintain the biodiversity of the area and make a place enjoyable to live in. Just make sure you set up your feeding locations away from the house such as at the bottom of the garden and don’t try and tempt the animal into your home. Use feeding tables to keep bird-feed off the ground and you’ll discourage rats from coming to feed. Be sensible and you can enjoy a rich, diverse and vibrant garden with minimum risk.

photo credit: Rictor Norton & David Allen