Friends of Ilkley Moor ask 'please don't feed the ducks at the Tarn'

Wednesday, 5 March 2025 15:26

A message from the Friends of Ilkley Moor

The Friends of Ilkley Moor are trying to discourage the public from feeding the ducks on the Tarn.

The reason for this is the large number of ducks have polluted the Tarn to the extent that it is now completely devoid of any other life.

In its natural state, say the Friends of Ilkley Moor [FoIM], the Tarn could support a pair of ducks. Currently there are up to 100 ducks on the Tarn. And the reason is simple, it is because of people feeding them. The number of ducks is simply controlled by the amount of food on offer. The more people feed the ducks, the more ducks will congregate there. And, after they have eaten the food, they jump back in the water and poo. This is now a major source of pollution and has rendered the Tarn unable to support any aquatic life. In addition, the ducks have eaten every shred of pond weed.

Owen Wells, Chair of FoIM, said:

“30 years ago the Tarn was an important breeding place for frogs and toads. On a Spring evening there were toads everywhere. Now there are none. The ducks have so polluted the water and have eaten the toad and frog spawn and tadpoles, so that there are now very few, if any, of these amphibians. We want to bring life back to the Tarn and that can only be done if the number of ducks is greatly reduced.”

“We are not killjoys, we know that feeding ducks is a great pleasure for small children, we only ask that they should be fed by the river, where the flow of water washes away their poo.

"So please feed the ducks by the river and not at the Tarn. Let us bring back the frogs and toads and sticklebacks to this beautiful stretch of water on the Moor.”

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