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Canal & River Trust warn that the nation’s much loved tradition of feeding the ducks bread could be damaging their health and habitats
The Canal & River Trust – which provides homes to hundreds of thousands of ducks and other waterfowl like swans and geese - are calling on people to feed the ducks responsibly by swapping bread for more natural treats like oats, corn, or defrosted frozen peas. The charity also wants people to spread the love and visit a new family of ducks but remember to exercise portion control to make sure they’re not overfed.
Canal & River Trust estimates that each year, 6 million loaves of bread equal to 20 double decker buses full are being thrown into canals and rivers in England and Wales – potentially polluting the water and damaging hundreds of thousands of ducks’ homes as well as harming their health.
Bread can be harmful to a duck’s health as it’s nothing like their natural diet and is the equivalent of junk food. The uneaten soggy bread can also cause a build-up of bad nutrients creating harmful algae which can spread disease and attract pests such as rats.
Negative effects of feeding ducks bread:
- Uneaten soggy bread can cause a build-up of bad nutrients which can lead to greater algae growth, spread disease and encourage pests such as rats.
- Overcrowding of bird populations
- Stress on the birds and lead to their habitats being damaged.
The charity is asking the public to make a few simple changes:
- Swap bread for foods more like their natural diet like porridge oats, lettuce or defrosted frozen peas.
- Spread the love and visit a new family of ducks to prevent large quantities of the starchy duck ‘junk food’ from clogging up the same places and potentially damaging the environment
- Exercise portion control!
Watch our video to find out how the age old tradition of heading to a local waterways to feed the ducks leftover bread is harming the ducks, and what we all should be feeding them instead. For more information visit www.canelrivertrust.org.uk.