Feeding the wildlife in our parks

We need your help to protect the wildlife in Kensington and Chelsea.

We understand that for many people, feeding the animals is an important part of your visit, and something that children particularly enjoy. Unfortunately, with so many visitors to our parks, the overall result of thousands of visitors feeding wildlife is causing more harm than good. 

We manage our parks to provide enough food to sustain the wildlife that live in them. We do this by planting of nectar-rich flowers, hedges and trees that bear berries for birds, or maintaining well-managed soils that provide a wealth of worms and other invertebrates that birds and small mammals feed on. It is vital that we maintain this balance to support biodiversity in our parks and green spaces.

Please do not feed the wildlife!

Reasons not to feed the animals and birds include:

• our parks contain enough food to support the wildlife that lives here. When we have the opportunity, our teams plant more trees, hedges and shrubs that provide the berries, nuts and seeds that animals love
• feeding encourages overcrowding of bird populations. Large numbers of crows and magpies that arrive bully the smaller songbirds in the park, reducing the numbers that successfully breed here
• processed ‘human’ food is not good for wildlife. They haven’t evolved to eat the same foods as us, and so these foods can cause harm. Bread doesn’t contain much nutritional value but fills up the birds’ stomachs so that they don’t forage for foods they would normally eat, which can lead to malnutrition
• animals that are used to being fed by humans behave unnaturally around people, putting themselves and visitors at risk. For example, squirrels that have become too confident are more at risk of attack by a dog
• food such as bread or rice left on the ground attracts rats and other vermin, which is not good for other wildlife, or local residents and businesses
• uneaten food thrown into ponds or on banks that has been left to rot damages the water quality. This results in more algae growing on the water, more disease and pests, causing animals and plants to become sick and die
• encouraging large groups of birds to gather creates an excessive amount of bird droppings, which is detrimental to the health of the soil, and increases the need to clean park benches and other features
• the high numbers of squirrels encouraged by feeding damage and kill trees
• throwing food for birds encourages them to group together, which can increase the spread of diseases, like bird flu

What you can do

Our parks and open spaces are full of nature. Here’s some ideas to help you make the most of your visit:

• Try our free nature-themed activities. The Ecology Service runs holiday activities, open days, and a programme of walks and talks throughout the year. Please check our website and park posters for more details or sign up to our monthly newsletter to keep updated
• become a nature detective. On our website you will find lots of resources about wildlife, spotter guides and activities to do while you are in the park
• the Friends of Holland Park have produced a range of guides, from trees and butterflies to the history of Holland Park, to help enrich your visit. These are available to purchase from the Sports Reception Office in Holland Park stable yard
• there are a number of free wildlife apps that are great to use when you’re out and about. Our favourites are iRecordButterflies, which helps identify butterflies you might see, and Merlin Bird ID, which can identify bird species by their song
• become a conservation volunteer. We run monthly conservation volunteering sessions for adults to help manage the habitats in Holland Park.
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