DNR and wildlife officials are asking park-goers to stop feeding the wildlife bread - and no, it's not because of a gluten sensitivity.
According to the DNR, while you think you may be helping by tossing a few old bread crumbs to ducks, you may actually be hurting.
That's because feeding ducks, geese and other waterfowl bread will fill them up - but not with anything of substance.
They say bread, oats, corn and nuts can hurt their diet and not provide needed vitamins and nutrients. It can even impact their ability to fly south for the winter, says Game Bird Ecologist Taylor Finger.
"And so, when it comes to when they have to migrate or they have to nest or have to do anything that's really important, their poor body condition results in poor nesting," Finger explained. "They can't fly."
He recommends that folks who do still want to help the birds become volunteers instead.
That can be done by contacting your County Parks department.
