EVERGREEN, Colo. — A woman in Evergreen is seen on video luring multiple deer insider her home and feeding them apples, carrots, bread, bananas and cereal while talking to them and calling them by names she apparently gave to them.
The videos were posted on Twitter Monday by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), which called feeding wildlife "both selfish and illegal."
CPW said they felt the need to issue a reminder about feeding wildlife after this and another "egregious" incident came to their attention.
In Bailey, CPW said a homeowner was feeding deer in his yard. This meant that whenever he came outside, the deer would rush toward him from surrounding properties, according to CPW.
>> The video above shows an incident of a business illegally feeding deer.
"Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds citizens that big-game wildlife does not need our help to get through a winter and that feeding them is not only illegal but does more harm than good," the agency said in a release.
CPW said that feeding wild animals can disrupt their natural migration pattern by causing them to congregate in one area, enables the spread of disease, attracts predators, and can lead to resistant herds that degrade natural habitats. It can also disrupt an animal's digestive system.
“I commonly find that mountain residents believe feeding deer and elk is a helpful and harmless act, but doing so habituates these animals to people in ways that completely alter the natural distribution of elk and deer and disrupts their natural wild behavior,” said Wildlife Officer Joe Nicholson in the CPW release. “Turning your yard into a virtual zoo by feeding deer and elk is not safe for people, not healthy for wildlife and is truly a selfish act. The proper way to enjoy viewing wildlife is to do so from a safe distance and without artificially introducing feed, salt, or other attractants that alter their natural use of the landscape and aversion to people.”
In January, CPW said wildlife officers contacted around a dozen people for feeding big game in the Evergreen, Conifer and Bailey areas. Violations can result in a $100 fine per occasion of feeding.
Both of the people in the incidents referenced above were charged with illegally feeding big-game wildlife, according to CPW.
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