Feeding wildlife as a tourism attraction: a review of issues and impacts

An appetite for connection: why we need to understand the effect and value of feeding wild birds

“…In a Tasmanian study, Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) consuming a large proportion of human foods in their diet tended to be heavier on average than those with a mainly natural diet (Auman et al 2008). Similar findings have been associated with specific sites where supplementary foods have been used to attract certain species for easy viewing (Orams 2002). Interestingly, it is becoming clear that such sites are often monopolised by a small number of behaviourally dominant individuals, who obtain a disproportionate amount of the food being offered (Chapman and Jones 2010, in press).…”

“…Certainly, a clear anti-feeding sentiment among wildlife and conservation agencies and birding organisations is strongly evident and widely acknowledged in Australia (Howard and Jones 2004;Ishigame and Baxter 2007;Jones 2008). Although the principal focus of this opposition has been on feeding in reserves and parks (Orams 2002), several agencies have seriously contemplated banning even domestic feeding (D. Jones, unpubl. data).…”

“…One of the reasons that many are concerned is that the practice of feeding has been associated with an alarming array of effects on the birds and the environment more generally (Green and Higginbottom 2000;Orams 2002). These include the spread of disease, nutritional imbalances, enhancement of introduced or unpopular species, increased aggression, the creation of 'ecological traps', increases in unpopular species, including vermin, and, most frequently mentioned, the possibility of dependency on anthropogenic foods (Anderson et al 1997;O'Leary and Jones 2006).…”

“…These include the spread of disease, nutritional imbalances, enhancement of introduced or unpopular species, increased aggression, the creation of 'ecological traps', increases in unpopular species, including vermin, and, most frequently mentioned, the possibility of dependency on anthropogenic foods (Anderson et al 1997;O'Leary and Jones 2006). (Only some of these concerns are further discussed here; see Orams 2002, Ishigame et al 2006 for further discussion.) These negatives are countered by proponents who point out that feeding birds has many benefits, such as the improved survival of wintering birds, enhancement of certain threatened populations, and an increase in general environmental awareness among people who feed birds (e.g.…”

Wildlife Tours in Australia: Characteristics, the Place of Science and Sustainable Futures

“…In the past, close interactions with animals often meant the death or removal of species from their natural environment (Duffas & Dearden, 1990). However, in recent years interaction with wildlife has become increasingly less destructive and more focused on observing, feeding, touching, swimming with, and photographing animals in their natural habitat (Duffas & Dearden, 1990;Green & Higginbottom, 2001;Higginbottom & Buckley, 2003;Knight & Gutzwiller, 1995;orams, 2002;Rodger & Moore, 2004). At this stage the importance of these interactions to the tourism industry and their impacts on many species of wildlife is not well known.…”