Town could ban feeding wildlife

BEDFORD — A North Texas suburb may put the quash on feeding quackers.

City officials may ban handouts to wildlife at city parks after learning that overfeeding ducks led to an unhealthy explosion in the population. Concerned residents scattered corn, bread and other food for ducks and turtles displaced when the lake at their Boys Ranch Park was dredged last summer as part of a $3.2 million renovation.

The excessive feeding created unintended consequences, such as a duck population too large for the lake to support, urban biologist Sam Kieschnick of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife told city leaders last week.

“When we add supplemental nutrients to the environment, there are reactions to that,” Kieschnick said. “Their heart is in the right place, but the problem is that the wild part of the organism goes away.”

A city employee even noticed a turtle too plump to submerge. The animal was taken to a veterinarian, who determined that the turtle ate a large quantity of corn and dog food, according to the city website .

This isn’t the first time the city has looked at ways to help the wildlife at the lake. Earlier this spring, city staffers built stone ramps for ducks and turtles to use to get in and out of the newly reconstructed lake.

Councilman Roy Turner said he wished the city didn’t have to consider adopting an ordinance to prohibit people from feeding the animals.

“It’s not ‘us against them.’ This is a time that we need to realize that we are on the same side,” he said. “Wewant to do what’s best for the wildlife out there. Let’s quit fighting and work together to reach these goals.”