Don't give wildlife handouts/Kurt Repanshek

During a recent paddling trip to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, this overly friendly duck hopped up onto our kayaks, obviously looking for a handout. And that's not a good thing. As cute as it was, the duck was jeopardizing its own future by relying so readily on human handouts.

When we paddled into Moqui Canyon, the duck splashed down between my boat and the shoreline and immediately headed for me. At first I thought she was protecting a nest, but it soon became clear that she was hoping for something to eat. In other words, she had become habituated to humans.

We usually hear about human habituation involving bears and occasionally wolves, but national park wildlife that aren't charismatic megafauna can suffer from habituation as well. There's enough natural food at Lake Powell in Glen Canyon -- later in our trip we saw ducks feeding day and night on algae -- that ducks, and other wildlife, can get by without our help.

So next time you find yourself approached by a cute duck, resist the urge to toss a handout its way. And always store your food securely so you don't contribute to the habituation of other wildlife, such as bears, which might not be as adorable as this duck was in demanding a handout.

Remember, don't feed the duck. Pass it on.