Amy Niles, the river and wildlife manager for the city of New Braunfels, provided an update on the matter during a June 17 New Braunfels City Council meeting.
“Artificial feeding of the wildlife is very harmful to them. It allows for those animals to feel safe and be congregated closer together when they shouldn't be,” Niles said. “Deer do not naturally [gather] in these large herds like you see in people's yards. A good population of deer is one deer per every 13 acres.”
Since the beginning of July, Niles said city staff—including park rangers, police officers, code enforcement personnel and animal welfare staff—increased enforcement of the wildlife feeding prohibition.
Officials hope decreasing wildlife dependence on human feedings will lessen human interactions that cause vehicular accidents and other issues.
“We all know people who have been in accidents with deer. They do cause vehicle collisions. They do eat people's landscaping and cause property damage. We also heard reports of them harassing people's pets and being territorial in their yards,” Niles said.
What you need to know
The city’s ordinance prohibits anyone from “intentionally feeding wildlife by placing food on the ground or within reach of any wildlife, including deer, ducks, geese, and squirrels,” according to the city’s website. The law applies to the city limits, parks, private property and green spaces.
In regards to white-tailed deer, the city documented more than 1,000 vehicular collisions between 2021-22 alone, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Niles said while people are well-intentioned when putting out corn feed for deer that appear to be hungry, the corn feed “has essentially no nutritional value for them, so that's the same thing as us eating candy or something like that as our sole source of food.”
What’s next
First time citations will be met with a warning and subsequent offenses could land someone with fines of $75-$500, according to city documents.
A public education campaign will also roll out on social media as well as increased park signage. Several presentations are planned, including at day camps such as Camp Minnehaha.
How to help
Not all wildlife falls under the ordinance; birds are an exception. The city of New Braunfels provides some tips and tricks to help keep wild critters wild.
New Braunfels officials suggest:
- Placing bird feeders at least five feet off the ground with bird-appropriate food
- Following all city and state regulations when fishing with a valid fishing license in city parks
- Setting out feed for the purpose of attracting game animals is allowed for those who possess hunting land permits
- Leaving out appropriate food for domestic animals or livestock
- Planting native vegetation that promotes diverse feeding of wildlife and limits their reliance on human feeding
- Enjoying wildlife from a distance to avoid interaction
- Feeding wildlife in any form except outlined above
- Feeding anywhere in the city, including public and private property, not just parks
- Approaching, harassing or cornering wildlife
