Food left by people in urban gardens can benefit animals but also draw competitors and predators
By Jennifer Harby & PA news agencyBadgers, hedgehogs, foxes and cats are fighting and having stand-offs over food left in British gardens, a study has revealed.They found food left by people in urban gardens could benefit animals but could also draw competitors and predators.
According to the study, badgers tended to dominate other species in the garden hierarchy while hedgehogs had more clashes than expected. They suggest this could be because domestic cats are not as physically or behaviourally well adapted to defend themselves against hedgehog spines as wild predators. Prof Dawn Scott, lead researcher from NTU's School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, said: "Food provided by people may help wild animals but may also attract animals together that could compete, injure, or predate each other.
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