Hi Terry,
The live ducks website is interesting, but I want to see some real data
here. Their info sounds scientific but has no citations. I have a friend
that did a literature search and came up with very little of use. His
original premise was that feeding was bad, but had to switch his topic to a
study of feeding behaviours (of the feeders and the feed-ees) and found that
ducks partition their day strongly around bread feeding, but they also
maintain those partitions in the face of abundant food. Also, many of these
urban wetlands are already eutrophic, so bread is unlikely to seriously
affect the water quality. Not saying that feeding ducks is good, but that
I've yet to see any great evidence that its bad.
Regards,
Chris
On Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 6:59 PM, Terry Bishop <> wrote:
> I don't think it is the direct feeding of fresh bread or other nibbles but
> the after effects.
> This is taken off; http://www.liveducks.com/bread.html website.
>
> 1.) Feeding ducks attracts rats, pests and predators that kill ducks and
> endanger humans.
> 2.) Rotting food pollutes the water and breeds deadly diseases and
> parasites
> ..
> • A single outbreak of Duck Virus Enteritis (caused by artificial
> feeding)
> Kills all of the ducks.
> • Uneaten food quickly forms a deadly mold called Aspergillus;
> Fatal to ducks without early diagnosis and expensive treatment.
> • Avian Botulism (caused by artificial feeding)
> Kills entire waterfowl populations and hospitalises people.
> • Artificially fed ducks emit a parasite causing a condition
> In humans called Swimmer's Itch.
> 3.) Ducks defecate at the site of scattered food or bread, bacteria in
> faeces creates much higher risks for illness or disease.
> 4.) Most waterfowl die-offs in the past 10 years have been attributed to
> artificial feeding.
> 5.) Food waste bobbing on the water's edge is ugly.
> 6.) Ducks that are overfed create dangerous amounts of waste that harms
> fish
> and other animals living in ponds.
>
> 7.) Some foods like corn may be OK as a snack for ducks, but fish can't
> digest it and die. Seeds cause severe cramping pain in ducks.
>
>
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: Chris Sanderson
> Date: 26/02/2009 6:09:13 PM
> To: Russell Woodford
> Cc: birding birding-aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Don't Feed the Ducks!
>
> Hi Russell,
>
> I wouldn't be too concerned about the whole duck-bread thing. To the best
> of my knowledge no study has ever proved it to be bad for them. I'd love
> to
> hear some evidence to the contrary (note: evidence, not anecdote), but from
> talking to people who have actually done research on the issue it seems to
> actually not be too bad for them. In fact, ducks would seem to have better
> self control than most people when it comes to their diet.
>
> Regards,
> Chrs
>
> On Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 12:57 PM, Russell Woodford <
> > wrote:
>
> > A bread manufacturer has launched an ad campaign based on the slogan "Don
> t
> > feed the ducks". It's not really a campaign to STOP people feeding bread
> to
> > ducks, although they point out on their website why their bread is
> > particularly unsuitable as duck food. Their hook is that because ducks
> are
> > eating THIS bread, they are migrating way too far and exhibiting "Wonder
> > Performance" because of the composition of the bread. It's a bit like
> the
> > Energizer bunny - but in this case we have ducks.
> >
> > Although the campaign clearly says "Don't feed THIS bread to ducks", it
> > doesn't really convey the important message that ALL BREAD should be
> avoided
> > as duck food. Some authorities have even suggested that the campaign
> might
> > make MORE people feed bread to ducks.
> >
> > At least the ad agency got a few things right - the Duckwatching Blog
> > they've created has links to REAL WORLD sites about ducks, including the
> > Coalition Against Duck Shooting. And their portrayal of the birdwatcher
> as
> a
> > bearded grey-haired man in a green jacket and daggy beany is, as we all
> > know, 100% correct ...
> >
> > Anyway, it's worth looking at the site for some of the quirky links (is
> > there really a birder called Malcolm Fitzpatrick, who has an obsession
> for
> > ducks, and likes Stormboy because a pelican is a bit like a duck?).
> > Better still, tell a friend to lok at the site, or use the TV ads as a
> way
> > of letting more people know not to feed ANY BREAD to ducks!
> >
> >
> > http://www.dontfeedtheducks.com.au/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Russell Woodford
> >
> > Birding-Aus List Owner
> >
> > Geelong Victoria Australia
> > http://www.birding-aus.org
> >
> >
> >
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