The city of Surprise created an ordinance Tuesday banning the feeding of wild animals on city-owned property.

The city has always had a rule against feeding wild animals at city parks, according to its parks and recreation director Holly Osborn. She says an official ordinance was prompted after a recent influx of wild animals. Osborn says this brings safety concerns.

“It’s not specific to birds, it is the feeding. We outlined our definition of feed and we also increased our ordinance to wild animals. It absolutely includes wild birds. It does include coyotes, it does include feral cats.”

She says the congregation of animals can increase the chance of disease transmission and feces pile up, driving up the city’s cleanup costs. 

The city said in a press release Wednesday that repeat violators could face a fines of up to $2,500. The ordinance will go into effect in 30 days.