Ruidoso stews over wildlife feeding ban

From KRQE-TV.com - by Gabrielle Burkhart - RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) - Wildlife officials and some Ruidoso residents are butting heads over a proposed ordinance that would ban feeding wildlife The ban would apply an area where officials say the animals have become a problem. Deer calmly grazing in someone's yard right next to the roads are lately not an uncommon sight in Ruidoso. It's part of the reason wildlife biologist Quentin Hays proposed an ordinance that would put a stop to people feeding wildlife in the village. "Just as the community grows, and particularly as we're faced with drought and sort of increases in these wildlife-human conflicts, I felt like it was something that really needed to be addressed," Hays explained. But the proposal isn't sitting well with some people. Hays said he believes the people feeding wildlife in Ruidoso are in the minority, but they're having a major impact. "We have deer and elk in our communities now that are completely unafraid of humans and of dogs and everything else," said Hays. He also explained that the concentrated deer population brings predators closer to humans, which also poses a threat. Read more

Ruidoso stews over wildlife feeding ban