Please see below from the Reserve Manager for your attention:-
“The Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve OEMP under section 2.12: Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve, states that animals are not to be disturbed in any way.
With that being said, the feeding of all animals in the Nature Reserve is not permitted, it is a punishable offence, as shown in section 4: Penalties schedule.
The feeding of animals in the Nature Reserve makes them habituated to people and changes their behaviour:
- They lose their natural foraging skills, which may lead to death by starvation if not fed repeatedly.
- They lose their fear of humans, leading them to being habituated to people.
- Wildlife being fed human food may lead to malnutrition: Bread fed to ducks can lead to a condition called ”slipped wing”. This condition causes the last joint of the wing to twist, which results in the birds’ primary feathers sticking out, affecting the birds’ ability to fly. This would then mean that the affected birds’ would not be able to escape predators and migrate.
- Spread of diseases will increase as there will be an increased interaction between humans and wildlife.
- Ultimately, the feeding will create nuisance animals, as the animals will be dependent on people for food.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could spread the information to all residents. With us working together, we can achieve the goal of living soundly with wildlife, while enjoying their aesthetical value.
Please refer to the attached document for more detailed information: Milnerton Racecourse OEMP_Jan 2012 (1)