Please don't feed the babies

We're starting to see the summer babies:  raccoons, birds, woodchucks and deer so far.  These mini-versions of their adult counterparts just melt my heart.  That awkwardness...the unsteady gait on those shaky legs is so endearing.  I long to get my hands on that silky fur and those bright feathers, so clean and still unmarred by life's inevitable trials and tribulations.  And there's that look of innocence and wonderment on those little mugs, where every experience is new and exciting and a genuine adventure. There must be something in our human DNA that makes us want to cuddle and kiss and nurture each of these tykes as though they were our own.

Of course, that's the same DNA that compels some of us to feed these adorable wild babies. We humans bond and communicate with each other through food-sharing at meals, so it seems only natural that we would attempt to connect with our wild cousins in the same way.  Alas, this heartfelt activity makes us feel good while often resulting in devastating outcomes for our wild friends. 

In Africa, humans and wildlife do a better job of sharing habitat than we do here in North America.  But the lessons there have been learned the hard way.  Baboons are intelligent, engaging, human-like creatures, so humans like to feed them.  But feeding the baboons doesn't do anything to help the baboons; in fact, feeding them transforms them into annoying, aggressive, and dangerous pests that ultimately must be managed (read:  "exterminated").  So to remind humans of the consequences of their well-intentioned but uninformed actions, there are signs posted everywhere that say, "You feed the baboons, we shoot the baboons".

I think about those signs often, especially whenever I am tempted to toss a morsel to one of my lovable wild babies, and I force my head to tell my heart that it's always best for everyone involved to let the wildlife be wild.