Responsible wildlife-human interaction
Many people take great delight in interacting with wild creatures, whether it is feeding birds in their backyards or beaches, swimming with wild dolphins or seals or cuddling a koala in a wildlife park
There are numerous problems with feeding or handling wildlife: wrong foods, hygiene problems, overpopulations of some species at the expense of others, alteration of normal behaviour patterns, habituated animals becoming a threat to humans etc.
There is also great conservation value in giving people an up-close experience of wild animals they may never have been aware of, and which they may then view more positively
How do we find the balance?
