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nps keep wildlife wild
Image: Graphic illustrating not petting wildlife. 

August 10, 2019 - Observing wildlife in their native habitat can be a fun, thrilling, and educational experience—filled with wonder and adventure.

When you follow safe wildlife watching practices, you protect the health of the wildlife...and yourself!

Know the risks of getting too close to wild animals and how to avoid them. 



Risks to People from Wildlife

Smart Wildlife Watching Protects People

National parks offer unique settings to watch wildlife in their natural habitats. And these experiences can have real health benefits, too. The sunshine helps you meet your daily Vitamin D recommendation, and scientists have linked time in nature to boosts in mental clarity, immunity, and happiness. Wildlife experiences can also bring on a sense of harmony, connectedness, and appreciation for nature.

For the most part, staying safe while watching wildlife is easy: simply leave the wildlife alone. However, sometimes you might accidentally get too close to them on a trail or see other visitors unaware of the dangers, so it’s important to know the risks of getting too close to wild animals.

The 7 Ways to Safely Watch Wildlife can help you avoid these risks:

Diseases Carried by Animals

Sometimes wildlife can get sick with diseases that are dangerous (sometimes even deadly) to humans. Illnesses that humans can get from wildlife include rabies, plague, and Lyme disease. People can catch these diseases from the droppings of infected animals, by touching or feeding wildlife, or by getting bitten. Never touch wildlife, alive or dead, and be sure to tell a ranger if you see any wildlife acting strangely, like a bat flying in the daytime, for example.

Your pets can also get diseases from wildlife. And pets can give some diseases to wildlife. To keep your pets and wildlife safe, be sure to keep pets on a leash, keep their vaccinations up to date, and don’t leave their food and water unattended. Better yet, leave them at home since many parks don’t allow pets on trails. Learn more about diseases shared between people and wildlife on the NPS One Health website.

deer mouseDeer Mouse
NPS Photo / John Good


Physical Injury from Wildlife

Wild animals are unpredictable. An unusual sound or smell may scare them, causing them to bolt or even charge. That’s why each park requires visitors to stay a certain distance away from animals, usually 25 yards from most wildlife and 100 yards from large wildlife like bears or wolves. (Always check with the park you’re visiting, some parks require a minimum distance of 50 yards.) Remember, it’s your responsibility to maintain that distance. If wildlife approaches you, then you need to move back.

Wildlife can be dangerous for your pets. Large animals like moose can trample anything underfoot, and some birds can even fly off with small pets in their talons. Pets look like prey to many wildlife, so they will act accordingly, giving chase and possibly killing your pet, even when on a leash.

Injuries from wildlife are not a pleasant way to spend your vacation. Bison and elk can gore, butt, or toss visitors and their pets. Snakes can strike, and bears can maul. Smaller wildlife such as squirrels and fox can bite and may carry ticks or fleas or rabies that can make you or your pet sick. Every year, visitors to national parks are injured by the wildlife—make sure it’s not you!

For more tips on staying safe around wildlife, check out this video from HitRecord.

Visitors stand too close to elkVisitors stranding too close to elk
NPS Photo / Neal Herbert


Keep Wildlife Wild!

When you follow the rules in great outdoors you help keep wildlife wild. Wild animals are more interesting to watch as they follow their instincts and experience the world with little human interaction. So keep your distance and report anything unusual to a ranger—you’re not only protecting yourself but also the wildlife within the parks. And you’re keeping the unique wildlife watching experience available for others. #KeepWildlifeWild


 

Risks to Wildlife from People

Smart Wildlife Watching Protects Wildlife

Watching wildlife safely is the responsibility of all park visitors. When you visit national parks, you are entering animals’ habitat and should behave like a polite guest. In fact, the safety and health of wildlife depends on the thoughtful choices park visitors make.

Wildlife face some serious risks when humans get close enough to interact with them:

Man too close to wildlife
A visitor taking photos too close to a mountain goat
NPS Photo / Jim Peaco


Consequences of Physical Contact with People

Although many wildlife appear tame, they are not. It’s best to resist the urge to pet and hold them. In fact, some animals, from bison to birds, may be rejected by their parents if they have contact with humans, making them more vulnerable to predators or other harmful situations. In addition, wildlife can get injured when they try to escape people who have gotten too close, especially if they are near human structures or roads. Wildlife that get used to being around people and developed areas such as picnic areas and campgrounds also are at greater risk of eating human food and catching diseases from people and pets or giving diseases to humans and their pets.

 

Visitor walking two dogs
A visitor walks her dogs at Cape Cod National Seashore
NPS Photo


Fatal Diseases from People and Pets

Our domestic pets can also pose real dangers to the wildlife within parks. Both pets and people may have diseases that they can give to wildlife. Sadly, there are many examples of wildlife in parks dying from diseases given to them by pets and humans. For example, heartworm from dogs and cats can kill wildlife such as foxes, wolves, coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions. Black-footed ferrets die from the flu if humans are sick and get too close. Wolves can be infected by canine parvovirus from dogs. Pro tip: Keeping your pets vaccinated can keep them and wildlife safe.

 

Hanging food
Visitor hanging food high above the ground
NPS Photo / Jacob W. Frank


Dangers of Eating Human Food and/or Trash

When visitors intentionally or unintentionally feed wildlife, it has negative effects on the wildlife. Whether visitors offer scraps and crumbs to birds and other wildlife or simply forget to secure their trash, risks to wildlife from eating human food are great. Some of the dangers to wildlife include shorter lives and poor nourishment. The best way for wildlife to have a healthy diet and live healthy lives is to hunt, forage, or scavenge for food as they would naturally. Relying on human food (which includes trash left out!) puts wildlife at risk.

Learning to eat human food can also change the way that wildlife interact with people. The process of wild animals becoming used to and attracted to human food is called “food conditioning.” Food-conditioned animals actively seek out human food, which in the worst cases can make them dangerous. Ground squirrels can bite, deer have sharp hooves and antlers, and bears can rip into cars or tents in search of food. Unfortunately, food-conditioned wildlife that become too aggressive must be removed, which can include being humanely killed by park managers for safety reasons.

 

It’s important to understand how your actions may affect the wildlife in parks. When you respect wildlife by following the 7 Ways to Safely Watch Wildlife, you help protect park animals and yourself.
Source: NPS