Should feeding wild animals be illegal?

For many years I have enjoyed feeding peanuts to the squirrels during my visits to local parks and hiking trails in Toronto, but today I found out that this practice has actually been illegal since April 1, 2023. I was a bit shocked to discover this since I have seen so many people doing it, even during a visit to High Park in Toronto this week. In fact, most of the squirrels I’ve seen on the street recently have been eating peanuts or walnuts!

I understand that the city government wants to prevent animals from becoming dependent on humans and also wants to protect animals from being fed unhealthy food, but I wonder why it has become an issue only recently. Why did Toronto decide to introduce this law last year? I don’t know the answer, but I wonder if there have been more problems recently with wild animal population growth, animal health, or problems resulting from contact between animals and humans.

The fine for feeding animals is quite steep, too! In the Greater Toronto Area, it ranges from $500 up to $25,000 (for people who have been fined multiple times). A couple in Vaughan (in the GTA) was fined $615 for feeding a squirrel in their own backyard! Yikes!

Many Canadians befriend the local wildlife in their backyards (especially squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons), even giving these animals pet names, without realizing that they could be breaking the law and could be fined a significant amount of money! However, for some reason, it is still totally OK to have a birdfeeder in your yard to feed the birds (except pigeons). I wonder what the difference is between feeding birds and feeding squirrels… hmmm.

Although I’m disappointed that I can’t feed the squirrels anymore, I will respect this law as it’s aimed at protecting wild animals. Besides, for a small donation, I can still feed the llamas at the High Park zoo!