Let’s Do Our Part to Keep Wildlife Wild!

Living in an island paradise often means sharing it with animals and native species that also live there. Such is life in The Landings with the many deer, birds, armadillos, wild boar, and other animals that consider it home. 

In September 2023, The Landings Association Board of Directors approved the revised Rules and Regulations, which include making the feeding of wildlife (most notably deer) a violation of policy that may result in suspension of rights to use common property, RFID access, and fines. Listed below are some reasons why feeding wildlife is prohibited in The Landings.

• The feeding of wild animals trains them to be less wild and increases the chance of a negative human interaction. As a result, many times the animals can become dangerous as they mature.
• The concentration of animals can pose health risks, including the spread of diseases.
• Corn has little to no nutritional value for deer. It causes deer to become dehydrated, leaving them to look for water in the form of vegetation (e.g., valuable landscaping). Non-natural feeding is the largest threat to their health.
• Predators also use “bait” or “feeding” piles. The concentration of prey animals increases their chances for success. Please be mindful that when you attract deer to your home, you also are attracting coyotes and other predators.
• Non-target animals such as rodents and raccoons also will concentrate near baited areas.
• Residential feeding counteracts the bait stations used by our USDA representative to effectively cull and manage the deer population in our community.