Don’t feed wild animals, Nunavut government says

A cute little fox stands next to some containers near a large construction site in Cambridge Bay where many said they had seen construction workers feeding them. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

Foxes can be cute, but you’re better off not feeding them.

That because, among other things, they can transmit rabies, which has recently been detected in Igloolik.

And the Government of Nunavut says it’s also against the law in Nunavut, under the territory’s wildlife act, to feed wild animals.

A GN advisory says feeding wild animals can also have “very negative impacts on their wellbeing, including the potential of death.

“It can cause them to become human-dependent for food, which reduces their ability to survive in the wild. It can also create conflict between humans and wildlife in communities, and at camps, as the animals start to see these places as a source of food.”

Construction workers in places such as Cambridge Bay have, in the past, been known to feed foxes.

But the GN says that by doing that, wildlife can potentially lose their fear of humans and may become aggressive.

“This can possibly result in the transmission of diseases to humans, such as rabies,” the GN said.

For more information on the dangers of feeding wildlife, contact your local wildlife office here.