MNR asks people not to feed deer

News Release
MNR

The Ministry of Natural Resources reminds people that it is not necessary to feed deer this spring.
Reasons Not to Feed Deer
•Using the wrong feed can result in digestive problems. People may inadvertently do more harm than good through improper feeding practices.
•Feeding may encourage more deer in an area than the habitat can support. This can result in poor reproduction, smaller fawns, and higher winter mortality rates.
•Deer-vehicle collisions may occur as deer cross roads to and from feeders.
•Deer that come to feeders may lose their natural fear of humans and cause conflicts at other times of the year.
•A concentration of deer around artificial feeders can tempt natural predators of deer such as wolves to change their natural habits and come closer to populated areas.
•Concentrating deer in an area increases the risk of disease transmission between animals. Although Chronic Wasting Disease has not been found in Ontario in wild animals, there are concerns that encouraging concentrations of deer increases the risk and speed of disease transmission.
ARTIFICIAL FEEDING
•Deer are designed to store fat, reduce their metabolism and successfully process that fat in the winter while feeding on natural foods according to their daily needs. If deer become dependent on artificial feed their metabolic rate increases and they require more food to survive.
•When artificial feeding stops, deer can die from the resulting stress. In areas where natural food is plentiful, supplemental feeding can do more harm than good.
LEARN MORE
•Find out more on feeding wildlife at ontario.ca/feedingwildlife.
•Read more on Living with Deer at ontario.ca/livingwithwildlife.