Why The Parks Say “NO”
When it comes to parks, there are some important rules to follow. Many people don’t like to follow these rules; many times it’s because it is unclear to them why these rules exist. Or maybe they don’t even know these rules exist! Here are a couple of important rules that parks have in place to keep animals and patrons safe and the reasoning behind them:
DO NOT LET YOUR DOG RUN LOOSE IN THE PARK
Letting your dog run loose in the park is not allowed and for good reason. If a park ranger sees this, you will be told to put the dog on a leash or leave the park.
- One reason for this rule is because of liability. A dog can bite a person, or two dogs running loose could end up fighting and potentially be injured or killed. Also, the owner is less likely to clean up after their dog when it is running around: not good for patrons who are walking around and step into the mess you didn’t clean up.
- The parks are to be a refuge for our wildlife and a place for the public to enjoy. When you allow your dog to run loose, you put wildlife and people in jeopardy. I don’t care how well-behaved a dog is; it’s their instinct to chase anything that is running. You never know when that instinct will kick in, and if it is off a leash, it could cause big problems. Case in point: One year I was called to a boy’s academy where a fawn was standing inside the woods watching his mother die on a soccer field. A pack of dogs had chased her down, fatally wounded her and torn her to shreds. Sadly, her fawn ended up having to be hand-raised by a rehabilitator instead of its own mother.
Every year, I get a large number of animals brought to me that have been injured after being chased down by a loose dog or cat. It’s sad because it could have been prevented if the owners had just kept their animal on a leash or fenced in.
- Your dog may be lost forever. I have a friend that retired from the parks and he said every year they witnessed the heartbreak of a family that lost their dog because it was off a leash and went chasing after wildlife and never came back. Keep your dog on a leash so this doesn’t happen to you.
Please respect this rule; there can be significant consequences from letting your dog run loose in the park.
DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE
I could go on and on about horror stories from people feeding the wildlife.
One reason for this rule is that by feeding these animals, you teach them to trust man. This will often get them harmed or killed because not all people have an appreciation for wildlife and will hurt them just for fun. Once I witnessed a group of ducks, who were used to being fed by people, waddle up to some children to see if they had food. Instead of being nice to the ducks, I was horrified when the kids started stoning them and the parents did nothing!
Another reason for this rule is poisoning. Many times the wrong food is given to the animal and it ends up harming them.
An example of this is feeding bread to the ducks and geese. BREAD IS NOT GOOD FOR WATERFOWL! When the ducks and geese get their fill of bread, they leave the rest on the ground, and 15-20 minutes later bacteria will form. The next waterfowl to eat that bread can get sick and die. Often the waterfowl will go in the water after eating and drown before they die of poisoning. When they get sick, they hang their heads, causing them to sink and drown.
If you want to feed the wildlife, go to places that offer “feeding stations” with the proper food (“The Barn” Restaurant in Smithville comes to mind) or you can always get a backyard feeder. That way, you position the feeder so that the wildlife won’t be as exposed to the dangers of mankind.
While in the park, enjoy the wildlife, but please care enough about their well-being to respect all the rules. They exist for good reasons.
Copyright 2017 Fran Kitchen
Operation Orphan Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization and does not receive federal funding. We are supported entirely through private donations, memberships, and proceeds from our education programs. To Donate visit our website here.
