Why you shouldn’t feed the ducks

Fresno’s Oso de Oro Lake Park is a great park to take children to learn to play together – and where it is acceptable to break the rules.

Last week, although my friend’s daughter arrived to the sandpit empty-handed, the other children shared their toys, some at the vigorous urging by their parents.

Later, we went and saw the ducks. Numerous signs requested that they not be fed, yet parents and children threw slice after slice of bread in the water. One of the older children pointed to the sign and told his dad that they weren’t to be feeding the ducks. The father was indifferent and said that it was OK; the ducks were hungry. I saw three families take full loaves of bread, tossing piece after piece into the water.

Bread-rich diets make for a perilous environment causing fowl to become ill and deformed. Rotting bread denies sunlight to underwater plants and it produces aspergillus mold, which can get into ducks’ lungs, killing them.

Just as respect was taught to the children in the sandbox, we need to show respect for the wildlife that make Oso Del Oro Park their home.

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Why you shouldn’t feed the ducks."