Watching a wild animal searching for food can stir something deeply human. Whether it’s a pademelon quietly grazing on the lawn or a family of possums visiting each evening, our first instinct is often to help. Putting out a little food feels like an act of kindness, especially when an animal appears thin, hungry or vulnerable.
That instinct comes from a good place. People who feed wildlife usually do so because they care. They want to ease suffering, support local animals or simply enjoy the privilege of sharing their space with Australia’s remarkable wildlife.
But when it comes to wild animals, the kindest thing is not always the most helpful.
Across Australia, licensed wildlife carers, vets and conservation organisations generally advise against feeding wildlife. While it may seem harmless, regular feeding can alter natural behaviour, affect an animal’s health and create unintended risks for both wildlife and people.
Why People Feed Wildlife
For many Australians, encounters with wildlife are part of everyday life. Here in Tasmania, pademelons often emerge onto lawns at dusk, while a regular possum or two might visit your fruit trees after dark. When these animals appear to be searching for food, it’s only natural to wonder whether they need a helping hand.
Sometimes the concern is sparked by a change in conditions. Perhaps there simply seem to be more animals than usual. For others, feeding wildlife is about connection. Watching birds gather around a feeder or seeing a wallaby return each evening can create a sense of closeness with nature. Many people genuinely believe they are improving an animal’s chances of survival.
Compassion is never the problem. The challenge is making sure our compassion genuinely benefits wildlife rather than unintentionally placing it at risk. To understand why experts generally discourage feeding wild animals, it’s important to first understand how wildlife has evolved to survive without us.
Why Experts Don’t Recommend Feeding Wildlife
Australia’s native animals have evolved over millions of years to survive in environments that are often unpredictable. They know where to find food, when different plants flower or fruit, and how to respond to changing seasons. While life in the wild can be challenging, these behaviours are an essential part of what keeps wildlife healthy and resilient.
When people regularly provide food, even with the best of intentions, those natural behaviours can begin to change. An individual animal may alter the way it searches for food, spend more time around people or gather in places it otherwise wouldn’t. Over time, these small changes can have wider consequences for both the animals themselves and the ecosystems they are part of.
This doesn’t mean that offering a piece of fruit to a passing wallaby will immediately cause harm. Rather, the concern lies in repeated or ongoing feeding, particularly when it encourages wildlife to depend on human food or to congregate in unnaturally high numbers.
The following are some of the reasons wildlife experts generally recommend allowing animals to find their own food whenever possible:
Wildlife Can Become Dependent on People
Finding food is one of the most important skills a wild animal possesses. Every day, animals move through their environment searching for the plants, insects, fungi or other food sources they have evolved to eat. In doing so, they also learn where food is available throughout the seasons and how to respond when those resources naturally change.
When food is regularly provided by people, some animals begin to alter these natural patterns. Rather than spending time foraging across their normal range, they may return repeatedly to the same backyard, park or picnic area because food has become predictable and easy to obtain.
This change doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it occur after a single encounter. However, regular feeding can gradually encourage wildlife to rely more on people and less on their natural environment. As a result, animals may spend more time around homes, roads and other places where they face risks they would not normally encounter.
Wild animals thrive because they remain wild. Allowing them to continue using the behaviours that have sustained their species for thousands of generations gives them the greatest opportunity to remain healthy, independent and resilient.
Human Food Isn’t Always Healthy
It is easy to assume that if a food is healthy for us, it must also be healthy for wildlife. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Every native species has evolved to eat a specific diet, and even foods that seem harmless can provide the wrong balance of nutrients or upset an animal’s digestive system.
Bread is one of the most well known examples. While many birds will readily eat it, bread offers very little nutritional value and can leave them feeling full without providing the vitamins, minerals and energy they need. Likewise, fruit, vegetables and other foods commonly offered to wallabies and possums may not reflect what those animals would naturally consume in the wild.
Wildlife also varies enormously between species. What may be suitable for one animal can be inappropriate, or even harmful, for another. A diet that lacks essential nutrients can affect growth, reproduction, immune function and overall health, particularly if an animal begins relying on human food instead of naturally foraging.
Every species has evolved alongside the landscape it calls home. By allowing animals to forage naturally, we help preserve the relationship between wildlife and the ecosystems that have sustained them for thousands of generations.
Feeding Can Increase the Spread of Disease
In the wild, animals are often spread across large areas as they search for food. This natural spacing helps reduce close contact between individuals and can limit the spread of infectious diseases and parasites.
Feeding stations, however, bring wildlife together in unnaturally high numbers. Birds may gather around the same feeder, possums may visit the same bowl of fruit each night, or several wallabies may congregate on a lawn where food is regularly provided. The closer animals are to one another, the greater the opportunity for diseases to spread through saliva, droppings, contaminated food or shared surfaces.
This is particularly important as disease and biosecurity challenges continue to emerge across Australia’s wildlife. The arrival of H5 avian influenza in wild birds and the ongoing impacts of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) in Tasmanian devils are reminders of how vulnerable wildlife populations can be to disease.
While feeding wildlife is rarely the sole cause of disease outbreaks, creating places where animals repeatedly gather can increase the chances of illnesses spreading through local populations. Allowing wildlife to forage naturally helps maintain the spacing and behaviours that have long been part of their survival.
Feeding Can Lead to Competition and Aggression
Food found in nature is rarely concentrated in a single place. Animals typically spread out as they forage, reducing direct competition and allowing different species to make use of the same habitat in different ways.
Artificial feeding changes that balance. When a reliable food source is provided, multiple animals may begin competing for access to it. Larger or more dominant individuals often claim the best feeding spots, while younger, weaker or more timid animals can be pushed aside.
Competition can quickly escalate into aggressive behaviour. Birds may chase one another from feeders, possums may fight over food left on decks or in gardens, and wallabies that would normally avoid close contact may begin competing in ways that increase the risk of injury and stress.
Feeding can also favour species that readily adapt to human environments, allowing them to outcompete more cautious wildlife. Over time, this can alter the natural balance of local ecosystems in subtle but important ways.
Wildlife Can Lose Its Natural Wariness
Healthy wild animals are naturally cautious. Keeping their distance from people, roads (where possible), pets and other potential dangers is an important survival strategy that has evolved over countless generations.
When animals are regularly fed, they can begin to associate people with food rather than risk. Some may become increasingly comfortable approaching homes, campsites, picnic areas or roads, especially if they have learned that food is consistently available.
While these close encounters may seem harmless or even enjoyable, they can expose wildlife to hazards they would normally avoid. Animals that spend more time around roads face a greater risk of vehicle strikes. Those entering residential areas may encounter domestic dogs or cats, become trapped in buildings or find themselves in conflict with people who don’t welcome their presence.
Remaining wary of humans is one of the greatest protections wild animals have. By resisting the urge to feed them, we help preserve the natural behaviours that allow them to recognise danger and safely navigate the world around them.
Feeding Can Attract Predators
When food is placed out for wildlife, it rarely attracts only the intended visitors. A bowl of fruit, a pile of vegetables or a regular feeding spot can become a focal point for many different species, including those that prey on native animals.
In urban and rural areas, introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats may be drawn to places where wildlife gathers. Predators, including birds of prey and large reptiles in some parts of Australia, may also learn that feeding locations provide reliable hunting opportunities.
The risk isn’t always direct. Even if predators are not attracted by the food itself, they may be attracted by the increased number of animals visiting the area. A place that regularly concentrates birds, small mammals or reptiles can become easier to hunt than the surrounding landscape.
Nature has its own balance between predators and prey, but artificial feeding can unintentionally tip that balance by bringing wildlife together in predictable locations. Allowing animals to remain dispersed across their natural habitat helps reduce these opportunities and supports the behaviours that have helped them survive for thousands of years.
But They Look Hungry…
This is perhaps the most common reason people choose to feed wildlife, and it’s an entirely understandable reaction. Seeing a wallaby grazing on dry grass, or a pademelon visiting the garden each evening can make it seem as though they are struggling to survive.
Sometimes wildlife really is under pressure. Extended dry periods, bushfires, habitat loss and seasonal changes in natural food availability can all affect where animals are seen and how they behave. A sudden increase in wildlife visiting suburban gardens may also reflect changes occurring in the surrounding landscape, rather than a shortage of food in your backyard alone.
Wild animals are remarkably adaptable. Many species naturally travel long distances in search of food, and their movements often change throughout the year in response to rainfall, flowering plants, fruiting trees and breeding seasons. What may appear unusual to us is often a normal part of life in the wild.
If you are concerned about wildlife in your area, the most helpful response is usually to resist the urge to feed them and instead consider what may have drawn them there. Protecting native vegetation, supporting habitat restoration and creating wildlife friendly gardens provide far greater long term benefits than supplementary feeding ever can.
Of course, there are exceptions. If an animal appears injured, sick or orphaned, it may need specialist care rather than food. In these situations, contact your local wildlife rescue organisation for advice. In Tasmania, if you find injured or orphaned wildlife, please call Bonorong Wildlife Rescue on 0447 264 625 any time of the day or night.
Better Ways to Help Wildlife
If feeding wildlife isn’t recommended, many people ask the same question: “So what can I do instead?“
The good news is that there are many ways to support wildlife without changing their natural behaviour. In fact, these actions often have a far greater and longer lasting impact than providing food.
One of the most effective ways to help is by protecting and restoring habitat. Planting locally native trees, shrubs and grasses provides natural food sources, shelter and nesting sites while supporting the countless insects, fungi and other organisms that healthy ecosystems depend upon. Even small wildlife friendly gardens can become valuable stepping stones between larger patches of habitat.
Providing clean, shallow water during periods of extreme heat can also help wildlife, particularly when natural water sources are limited. Water should be placed in a quiet, shaded location, refreshed regularly and kept clean to reduce the risk of disease.
You can also make your property safer by keeping cats contained, supervising dogs around wildlife, driving carefully at dawn and dusk, and checking for animals before mowing or slashing long grass. Installing appropriately designed nest boxes where natural tree hollows are scarce can provide additional shelter for some species, but they should complement habitat conservation rather than replace it.
Perhaps the greatest gift we can give wildlife is the opportunity to remain wild. By protecting the environments they depend upon and allowing them to behave naturally, we help ensure they can continue to thrive without becoming reliant on us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed possums fruit or vegetables?
Possums have evolved to eat a varied diet that includes leaves, flowers, buds, nectar and fruit from native plants. Regularly offering fruit or vegetables can alter their natural diet and encourage them to return to the same location night after night. The best way to support possums is by protecting habitat and providing natural food sources.
Our guide to How to Coexist with Possums explains why possums visit our homes, how to prevent conflicts and the best ways to live alongside these remarkable animals.
Should I leave food out during drought or winter?
Although it can be tempting to help during difficult conditions, supplementary feeding is rarely the best solution. Wildlife has evolved to cope with natural seasonal changes, and widespread feeding can create new problems, including disease transmission and increased competition. Providing clean water during periods of extreme heat is generally a safer and more beneficial way to help.
Our Tasmania’s Winter Wildlife Guide explores how animals adapt to the colder months and explains practical ways you can support wildlife during winter without relying on supplementary feeding.
Is it okay to feed pademelons or wallabies?
In most situations, no. While it may seem like a kind gesture, regularly feeding pademelons and wallabies can encourage them to become accustomed to people, increase the risk of disease and alter their natural foraging behaviour. If you are seeing more animals than usual, it is often a sign that something has changed in the surrounding environment rather than an indication that they have forgotten how to find food.
If you’d like to learn more about one of Tasmania’s most commonly encountered marsupials, read our guide to the Tasmanian Pademelon, where we explore its behaviour, ecology and the challenges it faces in the wild.
What should I do if an animal looks sick or injured?
An animal that appears weak, injured or unable to move normally may need urgent vet treatment rather than food. Avoid handling wildlife unless it is safe to do so, and contact your local wildlife rescue organisation for advice as soon as possible. A trained wildlife rehabilitator can assess the situation and ensure the animal receives appropriate care.
If you’ve found injured or orphaned wildlife, visit our guide on What To Do If You Find Injured or Orphaned Wildlife in Tasmania for practical advice on keeping the animal safe and getting it the help it needs.
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