--- title: "Feeding wildlife is not a good idea, why? l 416 429-5393" description: "Feeding wildlife is never a good idea - and it can get very expensive if your municipality decides to fine you..." url: "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" date: "2021-08-06T17:24:41+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ## Breadcrumbs [Home](https://www.hawkeye.ca/) > [Blog](https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog) > Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too # Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too Written by: Dan Frankian Published: 06 August 2021 Most of us enjoy watching wildlife on and around our property. It gives us a sense of connection to nature. And that’s great. But trouble arises when we decide to ‘lure’ wildlife to our backyard with food. The reasons for not doing so are plenty; here’s what the Ministry of Natural Resources website says: **Threats to wildlife** - animals can become dependent on artificial food sources - animals can lose their natural fear of humans and pets, becoming more prone to conflict - artificial feed is not healthy for wildlife - wild animals may gather in large numbers when they are being fed — this concentration of animals in one area can spread parasites and disease and cause destruction of natural habitat - feeding animals near roads increases their risk of being hit by vehicles **Threats to people** - feeding wildlife may attract "unwanted" animals to your property - animals will learn to associate humans with food, and can become a problem to neighbours - habituated animals can become aggressive - feeding animals near roads increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents, resulting in property damage, injury or death Of course, inviting wildlife such as [raccoons](https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=447&Itemid=1010) or [squirrels](https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=296&Itemid=1012) to your surroundings may also result in considerable property damage. If access to a cozy attic isn’t readily available, our furry friends have little trouble creating such access and leaving you with roof, fascia, and/or siding repairs - and the expertise of a Wildlife Control Specialist such as Hawkeye to evict your house guests. And, by inviting a smaller critter, you may inadvertently also attract a larger critter... something a little higher up in the food chain. Probably not a wise idea, especially if you have small pets. Or kids. But aside from all that – did you know that many municipalities have actual bylaws prohibiting feeding wildlife? They do. In most of Ontario, feeding wildlife is illegal. A couple in Vaughan recently found themselves the recipients of a $615 fine for feeding a solitary squirrel in their backyard. Neighbours did not approve and reported the animal control bylaw infraction to the city of Vaughan. The [City of Toronto](https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/blog/torontos-new-bylaw-to-curb-wildlife-feeding) has no set fine listed for this type of infraction but residents in Mississauga can face a maximum penalty of $5,000 for intentionally feeding wild mammals. In Hamilton, fines for the same thing start at $10,000 and range up to $25,000 upon subsequent convictions. Yikes. The take-away here is to NOT feed wildlife around your home. Neither on purpose nor unintentionally. Secure your garbage, your shed, or your garage. Eliminate food and water sources. We have a list of tips for [keeping wildlife out of your home and garden](https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=431&Itemid=1570) and are here to help [remove raccoons, squirrels, skunks, and other wildlife](https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=253&Itemid=560) if they have settled in on your property. ## JSON-LD Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/Organization/base", "name": "Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control & Falconry Experience: Canada's Pest Bird & Wildlife/Animal Removal Specialist", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/WebSite/base", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/", "name": "Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control & Falconry Experience: Canada's Pest Bird & Wildlife/Animal Removal Specialist", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/Organization/base" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/WebPage/base", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife", "name": "Feeding wildlife is not a good idea, why? l 416 429-5393", "description": "Feeding wildlife is never a good idea - and it can get very expensive if your municipality decides to fine you...", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/WebSite/base" }, "about": { "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/Organization/base" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB" }, { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/com_content/article/619", "name": "Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too", "headline": "Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too", "inLanguage": "en-GB", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Frankian" }, "dateCreated": "2021-08-06T17:24:41+00:00", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/#/schema/WebPage/base" } } ] } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "headline": "Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too", "description": "Feeding wildlife is never a good idea - and it can get very expensive if your municipality decides to fine you...", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/images/logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Frankian", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "datePublished": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateCreated": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateModified": "2023-04-26T15:18:53-04:00" } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "headline": "Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too", "description": "Feeding wildlife is never a good idea - and it can get very expensive if your municipality decides to fine you...", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/images/logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Frankian", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "datePublished": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateCreated": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateModified": "2023-04-26T15:18:53-04:00" } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "headline": "Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too", "description": "Feeding wildlife is never a good idea - and it can get very expensive if your municipality decides to fine you...", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/images/logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Frankian", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "datePublished": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateCreated": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateModified": "2023-04-26T15:18:53-04:00" } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "headline": "Feeding wildlife – not only a bad idea, but expensive, too", "description": "Feeding wildlife is never a good idea - and it can get very expensive if your municipality decides to fine you...", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/images/logo.png" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/images/logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Frankian", "url": "https://www.hawkeye.ca/blog/feeding-wildlife" }, "datePublished": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateCreated": "2021-08-06T13:24:41-04:00", "dateModified": "2023-04-26T15:18:53-04:00" } ```