We get it - watching wildlife up close is magical. When a fox visits your yard every evening or raccoons waddle up to the porch, it can feel like you're forming a special bond. We hear from so many kind people who leave out food because they truly want to help.

📣 But here’s the hard truth: feeding wildlife, even when meant as an act of kindness, can unintentionally cause harm.

It causes wild animals to gather in unnaturally high numbers, which ramps up the risk of disease, especially mange. Mange is caused by microscopic mites and spreads through contact, so when multiple animals crowd around the same easy food source, it becomes an outbreak waiting to happen.

Add monumental habitat loss from Nashville’s rapid development into the mix, and animals squeezed into smaller ranges are even more likely to gather around these food hotspots, which means faster disease spread, more conflicts, and more animals needing rehabilitation.

Red foxes have adapted surprisingly well to the urban world we've forced them into, but mange remains one of their biggest challenges. Every summer, we become absolutely overwhelmed with mange cases. While we’re always here to help, treating one fox at a time isn’t enough. To truly make a difference, we have to address the root of the problem, which means looking at how human actions, like feeding wildlife or using rodenticides, are fueling the spread.

We know your heart is in the right place, but if you truly want to help, please don’t leave food out, keep trash and pet food secured, and do not use rodenticides. Loving wildlife means doing what’s best for them, which is often just admiring them from a distance. 🧡 ... See MoreSee Less

Garter snakes are harmless, nonvenomous native snakes that help keep ecosystems balanced with their diverse diet. They are not aggressive and they do not want to chase, attack, or hurt us. They’re just trying to survive in a world that has become increasingly dangerous for wildlife.

This little garter snake arrived after being found bleeding on someone’s porch. Thankfully, instead of harming or killing the snake out of fear, the rescuer chose compassion and got it help. After some time in rehabilitation for wound care and recovery, it healed well and was able to be released back into the wild!

If you come across a wild snake, the best thing you can do is give it space and let it continue on its way. Every species has a role to play, even the ones that get a bad rap. ... See MoreSee Less