French fries and pastrami sandwiches are not good for our diet and they certainly aren’t good for a bird’s diet, yet recently I've seen friends on separate occasions feed birds this processed and unhealthy food without a thought for the bird's welfare. It may feel like you are communing with nature when a bird eats a fry off of your plate, but you are actually harming the bird. These foods are not a regular part of a bird’s diet and can cause significant health problems, including death.

Harm to wildlife comes not just by eating the actual unhealthful food, but also by their becoming dependent on us for their food, interrupting their normal migration patterns. This can result in them staying too long in an environment that will not support them through the winter or can lead to overpopulation which leads to starvation. It can also become a nuisance where the birds become aggressive in parks and beaches because they have become accustomed to getting food from humans.

In addition to not feeding wildlife, it is also best not to touch them. I have a friend who touched a sea turtle in Hawaii for his own amusement, despite the fact that he knew he wasn't supposed to. There is even a law against doing so in order to protect the turtles. In most cases, people are not intentionally abusing the wildlife; they are simply self-focused. Next time you encounter wildlife, try to be mindful of doing what’s best for them, not you.

Although I’ve always respected wildlife, my friend Suzanne has helped me take it to a whole new level. My perspective now goes beyond birds and sea turtles and includes worms and bugs. When Suzanne is out on her morning run during the rainy season, she stops to save every worm that is on the path. She picks them up with a stick and moves them to safety, out of harms way from walkers, runners, and cyclists. When she swims in her pool, she does her first warm up lap scanning the pool for any bees, flies, spiders, or grasshoppers that need a little boost out of the water. She even moves them to a shaded area so they don’t overheat in the sun while trying to recover from their swimming ordeal. Suzanne also has a no-kill method for getting hard to capture flies safely out of her house. If there is a fly in her kitchen, she will turn off the lights inside and turn on the lights outside. She then opens the patio door and watches as the fly heads out the door toward the light.

I think we can all be inspired to see the beauty in and have compassion for all living creatures like Suzanne does. When we do, we are less likely to act from a self-focused place and more likely to act in the best interest of the fellow life we’ve encountered.

Next time you encounter wildlife, will you do what is best for them, not you?