AZ Game and Fish: It's illegal to feed wildlife

April 09, 2013

Arizona Game and Fish is reminding people that it is illegal in many areas to feed javelina and other wildlife.

Spokesman Mark Hart says the Department has had to send warning letters to nine households in the Tucson area in the last month. He says feeding wildlife is risky.

“You really don’t know the difference between a coyote and a dog, which is a natural adversary, and will react very instinctively to it, including this snapping behavior," Hart said.

Hart says when wild animals get a taste of the food humans provide, it becomes very attractive to them and it's easier for them to get than to find food in the wild. It is against state law to feed wild animals in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal Counties.