Anonymous
August 3, 2022, 9:32 am
8.7k Views
12 Comments
By an edhat reader
This is an odd question, but does anyone know why people leave food scraps out on their lawn? Specifically watermelon rinds?
I sometimes see birds picking at it, if that’s the purpose, but it also attracts rats and other unsavory critters I wouldn’t want that close to my house.
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Just another example of how public health laws are being ignored by ignorant people.
food scrapes are different than trash, there needs to be a distinction.
food scrapes bio degrade and are beneficial to your lawn and garden. ie. compost.
The people who do this are not unlike those that let their pets roam free in the neighborhood. Over the years we have endured sieges from skunks that attacked our dog and generally make living in our home grossly unpleasant for long periods. We have had raccoons that destroyed our garden. When neighbors encourage such animals they are just being uncivil. We try to live in a shared community and to be considerate of others there. If you feel compelled to violate these social agreements it would be nice if you moved out to the boonies.
6:11- The people here believe you should follow civil society rules, just their rules. Which changes with the media/Tic-Toc etc. Why people would though scaps to wild animals is beyond me. There’s a reason there are signs that say “Don’t feed the animals”. A simple Google search people. There is a reason and it isn’t helping them. wow.
Skunks “attacking” a dog? This I gotta see.
It’s amazing how people are trapped in their own personal Hell while living in a beautiful place such as Santa Barbara.
Minibeast–you don’t got to see it, you got to smell it! ( Yes I get the point that skunks don’t “attack” per se but they do not retreat either. If they are in your yard and your domesticated and loyal dog is there as is the norm, the skunks will mess him/her up bad. Is this acceptable for the freedom of skunks to roam or does the world already have an excess dose of skunks? I say let the skunks find a place away from people and stop enticing them into the neighborhood.
Minibeast–you don’t got to see it, you got to smell it! ( Yes I get the point that skunks don’t “attack” per se but they do not retreat either. If they are in your yard and your domesticated and loyal dog is there as is the norm, the skunks will mess him/her up bad. Is this acceptable for the freedom of skunks to roam or does the world already have an excess dose of skunks? I say let the skunks find a place away from people and stop enticing them into the neighborhood.
Possum eat ticks and other offending little ones … they’re helpful creatures who do no harm. Racoons do not cause us any bother, nor does the occasionxall skunk.
We live amongst them
I have noticedthey don’t eat nonorganic fruit or veggies. They let us know when purportef organic is , actually, not! So, we appreciate them for their gifts.
We leave nearly all of our food scraps out, but do not put it on our front lawn. If you happen to have a security camera, you’ve probably notices any number of animals within the city limits, so most of the scrap are eaten by birds, possum, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, and one time we even had a fox! There are mountain lions in our area, but they really are not interested in vegetables, rice, beans, coffee grounds, and such. The only rats/mice we get are from our bird feeders, although I did see a rat nibbling on some discarded chicken and meat (ribs, t-bone, chops) bones. I have noticed a huge reduction in the number of raccoons….we used to get them nearly every night, but now we only see them a few times a year (maybe the city is trapping them?). The animals are hurting people, so the more we help them out, the better for everyone.
The vitriol is astounding. Feeding the wild critters? Really?
Allow me to blow your urban minds but up here in the northlands we put out 3 fresh water trays daily, spread a seed mix of millet, safflower, cracked corn, and thistle for the little guys. This mix and the water brings in house finches, goldfinches, sparrows, wrens, doves, towhees and the occasional Western Bluebird.
Raw peanuts and dog kibble go out for the Scrub Jays and the yearling Crow babies still crying for Mom to feed them.
I grow pollinators like Narrow leaf Milkweed, Mexican Sunflower, Thyme and Oregano, Russian Sage and Strawberry Tree so we support at least eight to ten Hummingbirds, native bees, honey bees and a few bomber bumbles.
At night, my yard is visited by a female skunk and her two kits, followed by two rambunctious noisy racoon siblings trying to figure out life on their own, and later, a very small red fox that uses the river willow tree behind my yard as a ladder to scale my fence and grub for leftovers.
I put out watermelon rinds, corn cobs and chicken parts. Somebody eats them,
Catch a parsley munching gopher with my GopherHawk trap – it gets tossed over the fence and is gone by morning. Something ate dinner last night.
Am I depriving these creatures of their natural lives by artificially providing water and food?
Maybe.
So?
Great Grandma Thelma used to tell us kids that every time you helped one of God’s creatures, Saint Peter put a gold star next to your name in the Book of Life. Every time you did wrong, you got a red X next to your name. When you died and went to the gates, if you had more gold stars than red X’s, they would let you through to the other side.
I need all the gold stars I can muster so I care for the creatures.
Most wildlife enjoys watermelon and other leftover.
Fortunately there are still people who feel that wildlife is a God’s sent to earth (and us) rather than being “unsavory critters” that (according to you) should be getting rid of