UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- When repeated snowstorms blanket the ground with a thick carpet, and then freezing rain forms a hard icy layer on top, as has happened recently across much of Pennsylvania, it's tough for wild animals to find food. But a wildlife expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences still advises against feeding them.

"When you artificially concentrate wild animal populations by feeding in winter, you increase the chance of disease transmission," says Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources. "In a wild population, normally the animals are dispersed. It's like when you send your child to school -- there is a good chance that they will come home with a cold and perhaps spread it to other family members."

It may seem cruel during a winter like this one not to feed wildlife. But these days, with fears of wildlife epidemics such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis, and increasing complaints of damage caused by bears, San Julian believes the benefits of feeding are outweighed by the risks.

Feeding birds is beneficial, San Julian concedes, but even that seemingly harmless activity has come under scrutiny in Pennsylvania at certain times of the year because bird feeders often attract marauding bears that destroy the feeders and sometimes cause other damage. "We advise people to take down their bird feeders in the spring," San Julian explains, "because of the problems they cause with bears. Most people don't realize it, but feeding wildlife has tremendous consequences, not just disease. Because we feed wild animals, some of them have lost their fear of man. By having them in close proximity, some people forget that these are still wild animals."

For decades, many sportsmen's clubs around the state put out huge quantities of food in the winter for deer, but scientists have come to realize that the practice doesn't hold much benefit for populations. They know now that the most important thing is for wildlife populations to be in balance with their habitat, and human feeding actually works against that.

"There are so many wonderful nature programs on television," says San Julian. "People see them and think that they should be able to see animals up close. But this results in animals losing their fear of man and man losing their respect for wild animals."

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EDITORS: Contact Gary San Julian at 814-863-00401 or by e-mail at gsjulian@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877