Supplementary feeding of wild animals in gardens and natural areas has complex welfare implications for individual animals and populations.
Garden feeding of wild animals is widely practised and generally well-intentioned, but the welfare picture is more complex than it appears. At the individual level, supplementary food reduces starvation risk during harsh weather and can increase survival and reproductive success. At the population level, feeding stations can facilitate disease transmission, create dependency, alter migration behaviour, and concentrate animals in ways that increase predation risk. The net welfare effect depends on the food type offered, feeder hygiene, predator management, and local wildlife context. Responsible wild animal feeding requires some knowledge — offering appropriate foods, cleaning feeders regularly, and positioning stations to minimise predation risk — rather than simply providing whatever food is available.