Attn wildlife photographers: to feed or not to feed?

[limr]

What say ye about this?
Some Wildlife Photographers Use Bait, But Is It Worth The Shot?

 

[astroNikon]

It is unethical and I think Illegal for hunters to bait .... but photographers ?

Do you mean my flowers (for bees and hummingbirds) and bird feeders are unethical ?

 

[waday]

The article has advice from an actual, real-life biologist saying it's bad, and then refutes that scientific opinion by quoting a photographer essentially saying: hey, it's probably not bad, because I like doing it.

That's weird.

From a scientific perspective, I'm going to listen to the biologist. Cause, you know, science.

This says it all, IMO:

...the main concern is it can habituate owls to humans. "You're essentially training the owl to lose its fear of humans and associate food with humans, so then they become bolder," Duncan says.

As opposed to: "...as far as I know, there's no data to back up any of the negative," says Terry Crayne, local photographer who is pro-baiting animals.

Why would I listen to a photographer over a biologist regarding actual scientific opinions?

 

[limr]

It is unethical and I think Illegal for hunters to bait .... but photographers ?

Do you mean my flowers (for bees and hummingbirds) and bird feeders are unethical ?

No, the article is specifically about photographers bringing mice, for example, to lure a bird of prey so they can get the shot.

 

[Designer]

.. the article is specifically about photographers bringing mice, for example, to lure a bird of prey so they can get the shot.

As I recall; there was a scene in Jurassic Park in which the operators tied out a goat as bait to attract a T. Rex.

For the amusement of visitors!

They were wildlife biologists, if I'm not mistaken.

So.... if they can do it, then why not a photographer?

But then the dinosaurs killed some people, so maybe it was a bad idea.

 

[waday]

But then the dinosaurs killed some people, so maybe it was a bad idea.

Yeah, but since birds are the descendants of dinosaurs, maybe the dinosaurs were just exacting their revenge on baiting humans?

 

[MSnowy]

To me baiting is baiting. That means everything from mice to bird food. The funny thing is that the Audubon is against baiting of any kind except bird feeding. I wornder if this is do to the fact that the Audubon makes millions of dollars off of the sales of backyard birding books, bird food, bird feeders and licensing of their brand to other backyard bird product manufacturers.

 

[limr]

To me baiting is baiting. That means everything from mice to bird food. The funny thing is that the Audubon is against baiting of any kind except bird feeding. I wornder if this is do to the fact that the Audubon makes millions of dollars off of the sales of backyard birding books, bird food, bird feeders and licensing of their brand to other backyard bird product manufacturers.

So do you consider having a bird feeder in the back yard baiting if its purpose is to feed the birds and not for photography?

 

[Braineack]

I can completely understand the position that baiting is unethical for their publication...

just like war journalists shouldn't go out tossing grenades to get a few good action shots...

 

[MSnowy]

To me baiting is baiting. That means everything from mice to bird food. The funny thing is that the Audubon is against baiting of any kind except bird feeding. I wornder if this is do to the fact that the Audubon makes millions of dollars off of the sales of backyard birding books, bird food, bird feeders and licensing of their brand to other backyard bird product manufacturers.

So do you consider having a bird feeder in the back yard baiting if its purpose is to feed the birds and not for photography?

I would if I go by what they consider the ethical wildlife photographer hand book. Wildlife agencies tell you to stop feeding birds if other wildlife shows up at your feeder. Changing the natural behavior of any wildlife is considered bad.

 

[Designer]

A couple of years ago I thought it would be a good idea to alter the behavior of our local songbirds by setting up some bird feeders. What we got were more squirrels, chipmunks, and mice.

 

[table1349]

For me part of the issue is the nature of the bating. Bating a carnivore that has to hunt for other prey I would never do. The hunter/hunted paradigm is a fragile balance that nature sorts out. Humans have not always been the hunter. In their early development they were actually prey. Evolution changed that paradigm.

I have however "baited" bears on a couple of occasions. Not with meat, but with the very berries, from and in the very area that the bears were feeding in. I gathered a few of the berries when there were berries on the bushes at the time of year the bears were eating them.

I was not visible to the bear. I was in a blind that was placed down wind from the bear. All my baiting did was pull the bear out of the thicket to the edge for a better pose if you will.

 

[Overread]

I think baiting is not something you easily cover with a single "catch all" rule.

Furthermore within baiting itself there is responsible and irresponsible use of the method which can complicate matters.


Baiting is a method by which you use a lure (we'll stick to food this time around) of food to attract an animal to an environment where you can observe and photograph it with ease. With some species of animal this might be the only way to reliably get a photo without having to invade its habitat (esp for woodland or other dense habitat species). As a result you might find that even big institutions use baiting as a method for TV shows/Photographs.

Done correctly baiting with food should provide only a treat to a species. Ergo you are providing a short term limited food supply that is easy to obtain but which is no sufficient to provide sustained feeding; and which is not a sustained food source (although you might bait more than once you would not bait continuously).

Furthermore it should not involve bringing the individual outside of its territory or its primary habitat nor place it in a location where by it would come to harm.



Where problems arise are;
1) When baiting is used as a lure toward people not just a location. This is a problem because it can build an association of people=food. Human animal conflict often arises as a result of animals gaining confidence around humans and thus encroaching closer and closer onto human habitats. Furthermore if humans are seen as source of food it can encourage animals to challenge humans and human habitation (bears raiding picnic baskets is the iconic example).

2) When baiting provides a sustained food source. This is where you're altering behaviour by providing a sustained food source that is regular. The animal thus becoming expectant of food to the point where it might alter its territory; reduce its hunting time and potentially even remain within a location longer than migration might otherwise occure. All these things put the animal at increased risk and also a risk that when the food supply DOES run out they are left at a disadvantage to survival

3) When baiting provides excessive food. Like above only this time you are potentially allowing the support of a higher than normal population within the area. This can have huge knock on effects of increased damage from an over-populated species. It's more of a risk with predatory species in most cases of photography baiting (that being large enough for local scale but small enough that it shouldn't affect wide spread scales unless undertaken at large).

4) When baiting is undertaken at modest levels but over a large number of sites within a small catchment area. Ergo if everyone goes out and baits; even if they are individually baiting well, then you've got a problem.



Point 4 is, to me, the most likely result of damage as a result of baiting for photography after point 1. At present point 1 is the most dangerous; however 4 could arise if baiting were encouraged within the population.





To me baiting can be like camera traps in that it can allow photos that otherwise would be impossible to achieve; or which would put human and/or animal at great risk to be photographed. So it has a use and a purpose. Heck in the UK bird feeders are actively encouraged through the year - providing a massive sustained food source and the use of feeders to attract garden birds is very common; even major wildlife centres will oft have feeders up near to their main reception/visiting area.

There is some debate (certain species given favourable survival as a result of being more dominant at feeders) and risk from the fact that its a sustained food source.


Predatory baiting is less common, but does happen. I would argue that its on the small scale; with known honeyspots being more popular with many photographers (eg following fishing trawlers or other locations where rare or impressive predatory species often congregate for easy food - these sites often then gaining additional income from visits/trips to those honeyspot areas).

 

[Overread]

I have however "baited" bears on a couple of occasions. Not with meat, but with the very berries, from and in the very area that the bears were feeding in. I gathered a few of the berries when there were berries on the bushes at the time of year the bears were eating them.

I was not visible to the bear. I was in a blind that was placed down wind from the bear. All my baiting did was pull the bear out of the thicket to the edge for a better pose if you will.

I forgot about this approach to baiting and yes this is a prime example of a species otherwise very hard to photograph safely for both bear and photographer* being lured out by a baiting method. The method isn't providing any additional food so the bear isn't given any advantage. You could adapt this method to provide a small amount of food in a regularly used area to the same effect - a bunch of berries won't sustain a bear for long; but if it brings it into the open for a photographic shot for a few moments then its unlikely to cause any sustained harm.

In that case it would only be if this were done en-mass that it would cause problems.

*in a fight the bear will win - but it will then lose as will many others in the area when bears are shot as a result of a "killer bear" on the loose in an area. Even an attack will prompt action (legal or otherwise) as people take measures to protect themselves by removing dangerous animal individuals - even if they kill multiple innocent individual animals in the process

 

[Derrel]

Well-written post #13 above by overread!