According to the Canal and River Trust, we’ve been feeding ducks junk food for decades.
They estimate that each year six million loaves – equal to the size of 20 double decker buses – are thrown into canals and rivers in England and Wales and that the soggy uneaten bread leads to a build-up of bad nutrients that create harmful algae and spread disease and attract pests such as rats.
Instead, the Trust says we should:
- Swap bread for foods more like their natural diet like porridge oats, lettuce or defrosted frozen peas,
- Spread the love and visit a new family of ducks to prevent large quantities of the starchy duck ‘junk food’ from clogging up the same places and potentially damaging the environment
- Exercise portion control!
