Is It Good or Bad This Person is Hand-Feeding a Herd of Deer?
I've always heard this is a bad idea, yet the internet seems to be cheering on a person who is hand-feeding a herd of deer. Do you believe this is a good or a bad thing? I've gone down the rabbit hole yet again to see what experts think about deer, people and food.
There's no mention of exactly where this happened (probably for good reason). Watch for yourself and see how you feel about it.
Before I dive into what experts say, here's some comments from non-experts on YouTube:
Jonie ☺️ - "Just A M A Z I N G!!! Really enjoyed seeing this. Thanks so much for sharing too 😍😍"
Jennaleigh - "They are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!😊🙏💚"
I agree that deer are beautiful animals and I have no doubt this person has the best intentions, but...wildlife experts are in almost complete agreement that what this person is doing is a very bad idea. Not trying to be overdramatic, but there's a chance they're really killing the deer. Instead of just sharing one source, check out studies from the University of New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana...and I could go on and on and on. Making deer comfortable with people rarely ends well for deer and a change in their normal diet routine and seeking out of food might make them less likely to survive winter.
It's worth mentioning that not all authorities agree on this. Yard Blogger claims there are more positives than negatives, but also admit that most people don't offer the right food and understand that deer are (and should remain) wild animals.
In many parts of America, feeding wild animals is illegal and can result in a fine.
Back to the question if it's good that this person is feeding a herd of deer? It looks like they're feeding them corn which is natural for deer, but I'd still question if you want animals like this to associate people with food sources.