(WTNH) — As the weather gets warmer, wildlife officials are reminding people not to feed waterfowl bread. While pinching off pieces and tossing it out may seem like a good thing to do, it can cause ducks, geese and swans to develop severe or even fatal health problems.
Stratford Animal Control in Connecticut issued a public safety announcement after a goose was rescued from a local pond with a hook in its leg. After the rescue, animal control officers discovered the goose and several others in the pond had a condition called angel wing.
Angel wing causes waterfowl’s feathers to grow too fast, making them project away from the bird’s body. The waterfowl then lose the ability to fly and protect themselves from predators.
In addition to angel wing, swans can develop fatal gut and heart disease from eating bread.
People are advised to instead feed geese lettuce, peas and sweetcorn, according to officials.
The goose had the hook removed and was given an antibiotic shot before it was transported to a wildlife rehabber for recovery.
Officials said bread is also bad for the water environment for waterfowl as it allows bacteria to grow in the water and encourages rats. Bread can also cause algal bloom, which gets into the lungs of waterfowl.
More information on angel wing can be found here.
