MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - "For many years, people have enjoyed feeding the ducks human food items such as bread and crackers. In the human mind, it offered a great "up close" interaction with wildlife. However, the negative impacts heavily outweigh the positive experience," says Kati Adams Meridian Township Parks Naturalist.

There are 6 reasons why we should not feed the ducks:

1. Foods that are being fed to the ducks are not wild foods or natural duck diet foods. Items such as bread and crackers are high in carbohydrates, but offer no other nutritional values to the ducks. It is like feeding our children junk food instead of a healthy meal. Feeding the ducks actually leads to poor nutrition and diseases such as Metabolic Bone Disease. Additionally, it can affect the growth of the ducklings and their ability to learn how to fend for themselves.

2. The extra food, especially high in crabs, can lead to greater defecation and bird feces carry bacteria that is responsible for several diseases. Moldy bread can also lead to fatal diseases in waterfowl.

3. Feeding the ducks can lead to overcrowding when the ducks begin to rely on humans for their food. Overcrowding causes species to come in close contact with one another when they normally wouldn't otherwise. This will lead to the spread of illnesses and diseases not only among the ducks but among other wildlife in and near the water system as well.

4. When animals are over-exposed to human interaction, they can lose their natural fear of humans. This can lead to more aggressive behavior when they begin demanding food from us. It can also lead to dangerous situations for the ducks themselves as they begin to spend more time near the roads and crossing the roads just to reach humans who may have food.

5. Feeding the ducks can cause delayed migration or even prevent ducks from migrating since they will stay "thinking" that humans will feed them every day. They lose the ability to find food for themselves.

6. The uneaten food can lead to water pollution ultimately affecting fish, invertebrates and other wildlife that use the water.

This list could go on forever with all of the negative effects of feeding the ducks. For those seeking a great experience in watching wildlife is to grab your binoculars, go to any of the Meridian Township Parks and enjoy the wildlife from a distance. Ducks know how to feed themselves and we shouldn't take that away from them or their babies.