Audubon to host talk regarding the impacts of supplemental feeding on disease transmission in wildlife

ATHENS – PhD candidate at The Odum School of Ecology, at The University of Georgia, will discuss supplemental feeding and infectious diseases in wildlife at the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society’s next monthly meeting.

Daniel Becker, a Ph.D. candidate at the Odum School of Ecology, has been studying the complexities of supplemental feeding and wildlife health since 2012. Becker will be speaking on how supplemental feeding can impact disease dynamics in wildlife, which species are at higher risk for disease transmission as a result of supplemental feeding, and how to reduce pathogen spread when providing supplemental feed to wildlife. Many human activities intentionally or accidentally provide wildlife with abundance and accessible food resources, ranging from bird feeders and tourist handouts to landfills and agricultural fields. Changes to wildlife behavior and physiology can in turn have complex effects on the spread of pathogens, some of which can have harmful effects on wildlife and human health.

Becker will here provide an overview of how supplemental feeding can affect infectious disease, vulnerable species, and more when the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society holds its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at Sandy Creek Nature Center. For more information, visit www.oconeeriversaudubon.org.