The feeding of stray animals and wildlife is becoming a big problem for a lot of communities. Animals, left unchecked, may leave behind huge messes with getting into garbage cans or dumpsters and leaving it strewn all over the community, becoming roadkill, as well as the possibility that the animals can carry diseases and possibly bite someone.
Some communities have tried trapping the animals and removing them to other areas, but then you have the animal lovers who release them from the traps. Some communities have a program for feral cats called the TNR Program (Trap-Neuter-Return). This means that they humanely trap the cats into a cage with food. They are taken to a veterinarian to be sterilized and treated for any diseases. Once all that is completed, they are returned to the area they were taken from. Unfortunately the TNR Program doesn’t help remove the animals from your property, only trapping and removing will do that. It does, however, assure that the feral cats will not breed and cause more of an issue.
You may have some options for addressing stray animal feeding though.
- Educate your residents about how feeding stray or wild animals could cause harm to the animal or the residents.
- Ensure that this is added, if not already, in your Rules and Regulations.
- Once in your Rules and Regulations, you can issue warnings to the residents who are doing the feeding and ultimately fine the offender, if necessary.
Staying on top of the issue and communicating the community’s expectations may go a long way in alleviating the problem.