Give wildlife space, not supplemental food

BUFFALO — Much of Wyoming is covered with a thicker-than-usual blanket of snow this winter. And while that has created plenty of headaches for agricultural producers with domestic animals, it also poses hardships for wildlife.
 
Christina Schmidt, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department education and information specialist in the Sheridan region, said there are things people can do to help — and it does not involve feeding the wildlife.
 
“For wildlife, the key is conserving energy this time of year,” Schmidt said. “Anything we can do to help them do that is good. Slowing down and giving them time and space makes a big difference.”
 
Schmidt said that, for drivers, it means slowing down for animals and reducing wildlife collisions with deer, elk and antelope.
 
"They can't get traction on the ice to get off the road sometimes,” she said. “I know I've seen on my commute, the snow is piled so high on the side of the road in some places, that the deer can't get up and over it — they're just running down the road.”
 
Schmidt said that people should be aware of wildlife when they are out recreating.
 
"If you're out snowmobiling or skiing, keep an eye out if you see you're pushing animals away from you and give them space,” she said.
 
She also said that it's important to keep pets leashed, because deer especially can expend a lot of calories running from dogs.
 
Landowners who can are encouraged to lower the top wire of fencing to allow deer and elk to pass more freely. If there are gates that do not need to be closed, Schmidt said, leaving them open or laying them down also helps deer and elk.
 
"They're out looking for forage or a protected place, and that makes passage easier,” she said.
 
In a press release, Game and Fish said that every winter, some big game mortality is expected, and Schmidt urged the public not to feed wildlife — for the animals' own health.
 
"I understand folks' desire to help, but for mule deer especially, they have a very specialized digestive system,” Schmidt said. “The bacteria in their digestive system changes throughout the year, but very slowly.”
 
Schmidt said that the animals' stomach bacteria changes in the spring and summer to digest high-calorie, rich forage. In the fall and winter, their digestive system changes to digest less nutrient-dense, woody forage.
 
Mule deer in particular can die “with full stomachs” because their digestive systems are not prepared to digest high-calorie food this time of the year.
 
“They are adapted to these changes in the seasons,” Schmidt said. “The problem with artificial feeding is, people put out corn or grain or alfalfa, and that's a really heavy load on their digestive system. Getting handouts of rich, high caloric foods is a shock to their systems.”
 
This story was published on Mar. 2, 2023