Feeding wild animals

[PapaDon]

My 92-year-old mother-in-law lives next door and loves to watch the wild animals feed on her porch. She throws out bread and puts out a pan of water every night during spring, summer, and fall. It attracts raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, woodchucks, etc. -- sometimes with several species feeding at the same time. It is a nice sight.

Occasionally, she even goes out among the animals to throw out more bread or add water to the pan. Some of the raccoons will even take bread from her hand, and she'll sit down on a bench and feed them.

This has concerned us for the last few years and we've told her that it's dangerous, but she refuses to stop. She says its one of the few joys she has and she'll continue to do it. A possible attack on her, getting caught in the middle of a fight over food, and rabies are our main concerns, especially since she's often alone in the evenings. Even though we're close by (about 100 yards away), if something happened we might not know right away.

I don't think we're unreasonable in our concerns, but she's determined to keep it up, so we quit "nagging" a couple of years ago. Any thoughts as to how dangerous this really is? Should we not worry because she's willing to take the risk? After all, she is 92 and mostly housebound.

[SteveA]

Have you considered something like these? Might make a nice gift for her.

http://www.kentscientific.com/produc...?CategoryId=85

She sounds like a very interesting lady!

[Jonas Pilot]

If she doesn't use a cane it would be a good idea, besides the gloves, to carry a stick while she's out and about. It wouldn't have to be a "shillelagh". An old ski pole with the basket removed would be perfect. When I first read the post it reminded me of the commercial, "I've fallen and I can't get up." This would be a good time to have something like that. It would also be a good idea to have a strong spotlight on hand. When I'm 92 I'm going to do anything I want to, so everyone around me better adapt!

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by Jonas Pilot

When I'm 92 I'm going to do anything I want to, so everyone around me better adapt!

I agree, I'm going to do whatever I want to do also... assuming I can remember what I wanted to do when I started doing it!

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by SteveA

Have you considered something like these? Might make a nice gift for her.

http://www.kentscientific.com/produc...?CategoryId=85

She sounds like a very interesting lady!

She is very interesting -- and independent! Thanks for the tip on the gloves, but she wouldn't wear them.

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by Jonas Pilot

If she doesn't use a cane it would be a good idea, besides the gloves, to carry a stick while she's out and about. It wouldn't have to be a "shillelagh". An old ski pole with the basket removed would be perfect. When I first read the post it reminded me of the commercial, "I've fallen and I can't get up." This would be a good time to have something like that. It would also be a good idea to have a strong spotlight on hand. When I'm 92 I'm going to do anything I want to, so everyone around me better adapt!

Now that might work! And I figure that she's going to do things her way and we can adapt!

[NickNH]

The issue with this is she's training the wild animals that humans are a food source.....so they're more likely to be trapped or killed by someone who does NOT have their best interest at heart......

Trust me, I know it's hard to convince an elderly person of this.....even some younger ones!

[trfour]

Images: Put Away Bird Feeders! Bears Are Out!
From WMUR 9; http://www.wmur.com/news/27356338/detail.html


Terry
__________________________________

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by trfour

Images: Put Away Bird Feeders! Bears Are Out!
From WMUR 9; http://www.wmur.com/news/27356338/detail.html


Terry
__________________________________

There's not a chance she'll stop feeding the birds either. We've tried other years. Oh, well...

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by NickNH

The issue with this is she's training the wild animals that humans are a food source.....so they're more likely to be trapped or killed by someone who does NOT have their best interest at heart......

Trust me, I know it's hard to convince an elderly person of this.....even some younger ones!

I hadn't really thought about it from that angle -- but I don't think that'll stop her; she enjoys it too much seeing the animals.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by PapaDon

I hadn't really thought about it from that angle -- but I don't think that'll stop her; she enjoys it too much seeing the animals.

Shes 92! She didn't get this far in life by doing dangerous things. Leave her be and let her enjoy the time she has left! Mother Nature will survive.

Dan

[Marauder]

[QUOTE=trfour;153477]Images: Put Away Bird Feeders! Bears Are Out!
From WMUR 9; http://www.wmur.com/news/27356338/detail.html


Terry
Great Pictures - could be my backyard!

[no-engine]

It is not natural to feed animals.
Also very dangerous as others have written! Her physician or visiting nurses need to inform her.

I could say more, but I'll be nice!

[ApS]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Shes 92! She didn't get this far in life by doing dangerous things. Leave her be and let her enjoy the time she has left!

At 92, she's earned her "Live Free or Die" moments.

[trfour]

[QUOTE=Marauder;153790]

Originally Posted by trfour

Images: Put Away Bird Feeders! Bears Are Out!
From WMUR 9; http://www.wmur.com/news/27356338/detail.html


Terry
Great Pictures - could be my backyard!

Thanks Marauder - The Lakes Region Is Heaven On Earth! There are four seasons here, and I couldn't blame anyone who wanted to feed the animals during a long winter. This being said however, when the bears come out of their dens in spring, they will push your porch & Porsche over to get food! So a little caution is in order.
Also, I would wish PopaDon's 92 year old mother-in-law the very best! She deserves our concern. "You Go Girl!"
Terry
____________________________________

[Kamper]

Show her this...

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by no-engine

It is not natural to feed animals.
Also very dangerous as others have written! Her physician or visiting nurses need to inform her.

I could say more, but I'll be nice!

They have, to no avail. She's still of very sound mind, so she's made her choice and we'll let her enjoy her life as she sees fit. Her mother lived to 101, doing the same thing.

[4 for Boating]

On a somewhat related note, we were driving up Meredith Neck this weekend and came across 4 bears crossing the road. (Right where Pleasant Street merges with MNeck Road) At least one was pretty big and upon seeing a few cars stop to look, he/she turned around, stood up on his/her hind legs and sort of had a look like > Are you following me? I know it sounds strange but it was what I thought when he/she looked back at us. Anyway, they were only about 20 feet off the road right

Same drive back to the house and right before we pulled into the driveway and a fox shoots past. Needles to say, I had my golden retriever stay in the house for the rest of the weekend.

[Kamper]

Well if she's of sound mind... I'd have to say she's made a concious choice to engage in a hobby that has potential risks. This is similiar to a younger person taking up moto-cross, bungee jumping or walking down the street.

Since she has made her decision I'd leave her alone since she's just going to dig in her heels now. With luck, nothing will happen to make her regret this past-time. If your children watch this, tell them about the risks and that Gramma learned how to handle wild animals over many years. They should watch her through the window only.

Even though you understandably dis-approve, I hope you have pictures of this for future generations to see.

Good luckQ

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by Kamper

Well if she's of sound mind... I'd have to say she's made a concious choice to engage in a hobby that has potential risks. This is similiar to a younger person taking up moto-cross, bungee jumping or walking down the street.

Since she has made her decision I'd leave her alone since she's just going to dig in her heels now. With luck, nothing will happen to make her regret this past-time. If your children watch this, tell them about the risks and that Gramma learned how to handle wild animals over many years. They should watch her through the window only.

Even though you understandably dis-approve, I hope you have pictures of this for future generations to see.

Good luckQ

Well said. She's definitely of sound mind! We watch from inside, our children (all grown now from age 26-40+) watch from inside, and so do her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Everybody loves to watch, including me -- and we do have photos. There used to be as many as 20+ animals feeding at once, although now the numbers are down to 6-8, probably due to several streets and many houses built some years ago. It's fun to watch, so we just put aside our worries now and enjoy. If anything bad happens, it would be by her choice to be out there, doing something she loves to do and has done for years (since the 1980s). Thanks to everyone for their input.

[Lakesrider]

Photos? We love photos.....

Put some up that don''t show her face. (So no one gets her in trouble.)

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by PapaDon

and we do have photos.

Lets see them!

[trfour]

You are so critical... Bring it on!...
T

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

Lets see them!

The photos are not digital and one of our daughters currently has them out west. I'll see if I can get some back or get some copies and scan them in, then upload them in the Winni Wildlife forum (aw, heck, it would probably be easier just to take new digital ones -- I'll just do that as the animals begin to come out more -- right now, there are only two raccoons and one of them doesn't come till after midnight [past my normal bedtime, but not my mother-in-law's ]).

[Winnisquamguy]

Originally Posted by PapaDon

My 92-year-old mother-in-law lives next door and loves to watch the wild animals feed on her porch. She throws out bread and puts out a pan of water every night during spring, summer, and fall. It attracts raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, woodchucks, etc. -- sometimes with several species feeding at the same time. It is a nice sight.

Occasionally, she even goes out among the animals to throw out more bread or add water to the pan. Some of the raccoons will even take bread from her hand, and she'll sit down on a bench and feed them.

This has concerned us for the last few years and we've told her that it's dangerous, but she refuses to stop. She says its one of the few joys she has and she'll continue to do it. A possible attack on her, getting caught in the middle of a fight over food, and rabies are our main concerns, especially since she's often alone in the evenings. Even though we're close by (about 100 yards away), if something happened we might not know right away.

I don't think we're unreasonable in our concerns, but she's determined to keep it up, so we quit "nagging" a couple of years ago. Any thoughts as to how dangerous this really is? Should we not worry because she's willing to take the risk? After all, she is 92 and mostly housebound.

Is this the same person? From todays Union Leader..

Bear feeders in Dalton reluctantly agree to plea deal
By DAN SEUFERT
Union Leader Correspondent

DALTON — An elderly disabled couple has been ordered by a Lancaster District Court judge to stop attracting bears and other animals to their home with bird food, which the couple claimed was one of their only sources of enjoyment.

At a court hearing Monday afternoon, Leonard Reeg, a 91-year-old World War II veteran, reached a plea agreement with Fish and Game Conservation Officer Matt Holmes that meets the terms of the court order while still allowing the couple to feed birds in a fenced-in environment that should keep bears away.

“It’s a poor year for natural food, and they’ve been feeding birds constantly for 30 years, so the bear probably saw that as a food source this summer,” Holmes said.

“The problem is, bears begin to think that this is their habitat, and then what usually follows is property damage in the area and some bear ends up dead,” Holmes said. “We take these steps to try and prevent that eventuality.”

In the agreement, Reeg agreed to buy fencing with the understanding that Fish and Game officers would help him install it around his bird feeders so that his wife, Eova, 89, can keep feeding birds.

“We want to facilitate the Reegs’ ability to continue watching wildlife at their home, so we told them to let us know when they want to look at some fencing,” Holmes said.

Leonard Reeg said he agreed to the deal, but he and his wife are still sad and angry about it.

“They are going to put up the electric fencing,” he said. “I agreed to it, but I am still angry; we’re very unhappy. They’ve taken away my wife’s enjoyment, and we don’t have much else to enjoy these days.”

Reeg said he and his wife have been feeding the birds at their home for the past 30 years without any problems. And though Fish and Game officials warn about the dangers of bird food attracting bears, Reeg doesn’t see a problem.

“I don’t think bears are a nuisance at all. I think they are beautiful animals, and we have always enjoyed watching them at our home,” he said.

Holmes agreed that there had never been bear complaints near the Reeg home until this year, when neighbors lodged several complaints about “multiple bears” spotted around their house.

At the hearing Monday, Reeg was given the choice of taking the feeders down or having Fish and Game officers help him install fencing. He chose the latter.

“I’m still so damn angry,” he said. “The bears have never been a problem in 30 years, and then somebody complained because they saw a bear on their property, and now my wife has lost her wildlife. That’s all we have.”

http://www.unionleader.com/article/2...RE03/709259937

[RailroadJoe]

Of course, the man fights for the freedom of all and then the good old F&G stops him from living his life. Time they let people live their lives without government intervention.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by RailroadJoe

Of course, the man fights for the freedom of all and then the good old F&G stops him from living his life. Time they let people live their lives without government intervention.

Ageed but...if F&G have recieved complaints and did nothing,and a child or domestic pet happens upon any of these bears and gets hurt,what kind of outcry will occur after that?

[NoBozo]

Feeding wild animals ..OR humans, just to Feel Good..does NOT advance the physical condition or welfare of either.. We all know how that works. DON'T Feed. It's called Tough Love. NB

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Winnisquamguy

Is this the same person? From todays Union Leader..

I don't think so because PapaDon said: "My 92-year-old mother-in-law lives next door" and the article you posted says: that "his wife, Eova, 89".

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

Ageed but...if F&G have recieved complaints and did nothing,and a child or domestic pet happens upon any of these bears and gets hurt,what kind of outcry will occur after that?

I agree, but Lancaster is pretty far up there and these people might be remote.
Either way it is pretty sad when F&G have the authority to tell you what you can do on your own property with respect to feeding the birds.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

I agree, but Lancaster is pretty far up there and these people might be remote.
Either way it is pretty sad when F&G have the authority to tell you what you can do on your own property with respect to feeding the birds.

Feeding the birds, that's putting an innocent spin on this situation wouldn't you say? Nothing would be done if they were ONLY feeding birds. Read the article again:


“I don’t think bears are a nuisance at all. I think they are beautiful animals, and we have always enjoyed watching them at our home,” he said.

Holmes agreed that there had never been bear complaints near the Reeg home until this year, when neighbors lodged several complaints about “multiple bears” spotted around their house.

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

Feeding wild animals ..OR humans, just to Feel Good..does NOT advance the physical condition or welfare of either.. We all know how that works. DON'T Feed. It's called Tough Love. NB

OR Humans?

[Rusty]

In today's edition of THE LITTLETON COURIER newspaper there is a cartoon about two bears discuised as birds so that they can get fed by Mr. Reeg.

Too funny!