Feeding Wildlife Displaced by Fire Can Do Harm, Agency Warns

Malibu residents trying to help wildlife displaced by this week’s firestorms may have to check their good-natured impulses.

The city of Malibu sent out a letter Thursday asking local feed suppliers for donations of hay and oats in response to citizens’ concerns about the plight of the animals, said Interim City Manager Mark Lorimer.

However, wildlife officials said animals that dwell in the brush know how to adjust after a fire. They warned in particular against putting out commercial food for deer to consume.

“It doesn’t do them any good because they can’t digest it,” said Patrick Moore, spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game. “They’ll starve to death with a full stomach. We recommend that people leave the animals alone. They will find foliage. They have for centuries, long before we were here.”

Meanwhile, residents will have to contend with their displaced neighbors.

Animals that fled the burning hills behind Joyce Caldwell’s Pepperdine-area home have settled into her yard.

“The biggest damage is that the deer are eating everything in sight,” sighed Caldwell, gesturing to her formerly flourishing front garden. “I don’t know what to do.”