More meat found in a Mississauga park prompts warning

The City of Mississauga is warning people not to feed wildlife after more meat was found in a park.

Two large pieces of red meat were found in Settler’s Green Park at 5800 Montevideo Rd. in Meadowvale on April 20, a City of Mississauga spokesperson tells insauga.com.

The meat may have been left for wild animals, like coyotes, foxes, and other rodents. But feeding wild animals can do more harm than good, the city said in a Facebook post on May 4.

Issues with feeding wild animals include spreading disease, territory disputes over food and habitat, safety concerns for humans and pets; and damage to property and attracting rodents.

“If the animals start to associate people with food, they may become more visible, bolder, or more likely to approach humans,” the Toronto Wildlife Centre notes.

And while the motives for leaving the meat are not known, if the person was trying to help wild animals, it could actually do the opposite.

The foods people provide are usually not as diverse or nutritionally complete as what they’d find in the wild, which can lead to malnutrition and even starvation.

“When wild animals become dependent on poor quality artificial food sources, they can starve or lose their ability to search for food naturally,” the City of Mississauga notes.

This isn’t the first time meat has been found in Settler’s Green Park. In March, large beef roasts, ground beef and pulled pork in addition to “piles of chicken” were dumped in the park.

Fortunately, this most recent incident appears to be isolated as there hasn’t been any meat found in the park since April 20, the city spokesperson says.

Wildlife feeding is prohibited under Mississauga’s Animal Care and Control Bylaw with the exception of the responsible feeding of small songbirds. Anyone caught breaking this bylaw could face fines from $300 up to a maximum of $100,000.

Report wildlife feeding to Animal Services by calling 905-896-5858.