Healthy Habits to benefit Wildlife
We all know not to litter – don’t throw away your coffee cup on the side of the road. But what about that apple core? It’s natural, right? It will just degrade like the leaves that fell off the tree, right?
No.
If you are a gardener and build your own compost pile, you know how long it takes for your kitchen garbage to turn into that beautiful dark compost that feeds your garden. So, if you toss your apple core out the car window, it may take as long as two months to decompose under just the right circumstances. True, that isn’t as long as the plastic bag that may take 20 years or more or a straw that may take 200 years. Don’t forget the plastic bottle that could take 450 years.
And no, wildlife isn’t going to eat your thrown away apple core either. Wild animals have specific dietary needs that don’t match yours. Look at the meadowlark in the picture. See those worms? That’s what they want to eat, not your apple core!
An experiment was done by a ranger in the Grand Canyon to see just how long our tossed-out food will take to decompose. She tossed an apple core, a banana peel, orange peels, chewing gum and tissue paper in a wire cage. The cage allowed wildlife to take what they wanted. They didn’t want much. Fast forward six months. How much decomposition do you think took place? Not much. The orange peels dried up, the banana peel was an unappealing black color, the chewing gum could still be chewed if you wanted, and the tissue was just a blob. Nothing decomposed!
Wildlife hadn’t eaten anything. We never want to encourage wildlife to eat our garbage whether it is in the garbage can or on the side of the road. We don’t want them dependent on us for food. We don’t want to encourage them to look to the side of the road for food where they are in danger of being hit by cars.
Wild critters need a variety of suitable foods, not what you have left behind. Anytime you feed wild critters, you put them at risk because they won’t get the proper nutrients or they are in physical danger from cars.
Just like the coffee cup, put your apple core and anything else left over from your lunch in the trash bin. It will keep America beautiful and keep our wildlife healthy.
Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.
No.
If you are a gardener and build your own compost pile, you know how long it takes for your kitchen garbage to turn into that beautiful dark compost that feeds your garden. So, if you toss your apple core out the car window, it may take as long as two months to decompose under just the right circumstances. True, that isn’t as long as the plastic bag that may take 20 years or more or a straw that may take 200 years. Don’t forget the plastic bottle that could take 450 years.
And no, wildlife isn’t going to eat your thrown away apple core either. Wild animals have specific dietary needs that don’t match yours. Look at the meadowlark in the picture. See those worms? That’s what they want to eat, not your apple core!
An experiment was done by a ranger in the Grand Canyon to see just how long our tossed-out food will take to decompose. She tossed an apple core, a banana peel, orange peels, chewing gum and tissue paper in a wire cage. The cage allowed wildlife to take what they wanted. They didn’t want much. Fast forward six months. How much decomposition do you think took place? Not much. The orange peels dried up, the banana peel was an unappealing black color, the chewing gum could still be chewed if you wanted, and the tissue was just a blob. Nothing decomposed!
Wildlife hadn’t eaten anything. We never want to encourage wildlife to eat our garbage whether it is in the garbage can or on the side of the road. We don’t want them dependent on us for food. We don’t want to encourage them to look to the side of the road for food where they are in danger of being hit by cars.
Wild critters need a variety of suitable foods, not what you have left behind. Anytime you feed wild critters, you put them at risk because they won’t get the proper nutrients or they are in physical danger from cars.
Just like the coffee cup, put your apple core and anything else left over from your lunch in the trash bin. It will keep America beautiful and keep our wildlife healthy.
Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.
