1. Keep Wildlife Wild A campaign against Wildlife Habituation and Food-Conditioning At Mount Rainier National Park

2. Overview  What is the problem?  Why is it a problem?  What you can do to help the problem!

3.  Habituation = Loss of Fear  Food-Conditioning = Increased Risk The Problem

4. Extent of Problem Inventory of Habituated Wildlife study-2006 Mt. Rainier National Park

5. Habituated and Food-Conditioned

6. The Wildlife Factor We all need to take responsibility for the wild animals whose habitat we share

7. Human / Wildlife Risks  Human Wildlife Encounters / Disease Transmission  Predation  Vehicle Encounters

8. Human / Wildlife Risks  Human Wildlife Encounters / Disease Transmission Wildlife may carry Zoonotic diseases and parasites which can be transmitted to humans through close contact. Animals may become aggressive and bite causing serious injury and possible transmission of disease. Disease transmission effects wildlife too!

9. Human / Wildlife Risks  Predation Feeding concentrates deer and small mammals into specific areas. This may attract predators such as fox, bear, and cougars. Large predators attracted by small mammals become habituated to humans and are more likely to attack pets and people. Corvids are nest predators, large concentrations of food- conditioned corvids will decrease other bird species populations.

10. Steller’s Jay Clark’s Nutcracker Gray Jay Mount Rainier’s four species of corvids Raven

11. Results from pilot corvid surveys

12. Human / Wildlife Risks  Vehicle Encounters Food-conditioned wildlife is attracted to areas with high traffic volume and are frequently killed by vehicles. The Cascade fox is a rare subspecies of fox known recently to occur in only a handful of locations in the Western Cascades. 4 different foxes were hit since 2005. 2 were killed.

13. Mitigating Road Impacts

14. Loss of Rare/Endangered Individuals to Vehicles in 2007 – MORA Staff Photos Deadwood Creek Territory Female Food Conditioned Cascade fox, hit by car and euthanized

15. Causes of Food-Conditioning  Feeding  Unsecure food  Lack of education  Lack of support

16. Wildlife Issues Where You Can Help  Report what you see - Databases: -Wildlife Observation -Bear/cougar/fox close encounters -Road Kill  Educate the public - Literature, talks, signs, examples  Teach/Practice/Support proper food storage - Use of food lockers, Support unsecure food confiscation and Proper garbage disposal

17. Thanks for your Support! Help Protect Future Generations of Wildlife!