Before a planned Florida attraction ever opened to the public, more than 50 imported sloths had died, and investigators said the aftermath pointed to concerns that extend beyond a single failed roadside-animal business.

Inside Climate News reported that necropsy records and a state inspection report showed the animals were suffering from parasites, bacteria, viruses, pneumonia, diarrhea, and extreme stress after international transport and poor warehouse conditions in Orlando.

What happened?

The sloths were brought to a business called Sloth World, which planned to charge visitors $49 to see the animals. The attraction shut down before it ever opened after scrutiny over the sloths' deaths and treatment.

Records described animals with distended stomachs, diarrhea matted into their fur, and severely compromised health. One sloth, Sid, reportedly arrived in a small crate "covered in diarrhea" and was later found "minimally responsive."

Other sloths suffered injuries after repeated altercations and apparent mishandling. Experts who reviewed the records said stress, confinement, temperature swings, and inadequate care likely left the animals even more vulnerable to disease.

The animals were imported through legal channels rather than smuggled into the United States, a point experts said shows the wildlife trade's problems are not confined to illicit trafficking.

Two sloth disease experts, Carlos Sacristán and Ana Carolina Ewbank, were blunt in their assessment of the Florida case. "What was done to these animals … is absolutely unacceptable."

Why does it matter?

Researchers said the Florida case demonstrates how the capture, transport, and confinement of exotic animals can create conditions that help diseases move between species and, at times, infect humans.

Many serious outbreaks, including HIV/AIDS, influenza, and West Nile virus, began with pathogens crossing from animals to people.

As physician and epidemiologist Dr. Neil Vora put it, "Wildlife trading is inherently a system that can amplify pathogen risk." He added, "It's just a ticking time bomb that has huge risk—it's like pandemic roulette."

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Experts also said the threat is not limited to illegal activity. A Science study reported that traded wildlife species were about 50% more likely to share pathogens with humans than species outside the trade.

Once those animals are imported, oversight can become unclear, with state and federal agencies sometimes passing responsibility back and forth.

Jérôme Gippet, an ecologist who studies wildlife trade and disease spread, called the industry "very dangerous" and said, "The trade creates the opportunities for these viruses to become zoonotic."

Veterinarian Meghan Davis warned, "We can't just look at a wild animal and know what it's carrying," adding that "Suprises can happen."

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Most backyard bird feeders are not bird sanctuaries. They are, by nearly every measure that conservation biologists use, the fast food drive-through of the avian world: convenient for the customer, questionable in its health outcomes, and decidedly more beneficial to the franchise than to anyone it claims to serve.

That may sound harsh, especially for the estimated 59 million Americans who fill feeders every season with the sincere belief they are helping wild birds. But emerging science, wildlife biologists, and conservation organizations are reaching a consensus that most of us do not want to hear: your bird feeder may be doing far more harm than good.

Here are seven reasons to consider taking it down, and what wildlife experts say you should do instead.

1. You're Probably Feeding the Wrong Birds

This is the inconvenient truth at the center of the bird feeder debate. The birds that most aggressively swarm the average backyard feeder, house sparrows and European starlings, are invasive, non-native species that actively displace and outcompete the native birds most people are hoping to attract.

According to the American Bird Conservancy, house sparrows will drive out and even kill native birds like Eastern Bluebirds when competing for nesting sites. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences compared properties with and without feeders and found that feeder sites had dramatically higher numbers of non-native house sparrows, alongside significantly fewer native species. Research compiled in Scientific American found that feeder-dependent species surged in population, while woodland birds that avoid feeders (including the Willow Tit and Wood Warbler) crashed by as much as 87% over the same 25-year window.

The warblers, bluebirds, thrushes, and native sparrows that birders most want to see? They rarely visit feeders at all.

2. Bird Feeders Spread Disease Among Wild Birds

When you invite dozens of birds to share the same surfaces on a predictable daily schedule, you are creating ideal conditions for contagious disease. Sonia Hernandez, an associate professor of wildlife disease at the University of Georgia, describes highly concentrated, multi-species feeder populations in PBS Nature as "a recipe for disaster" from a disease transmission standpoint.

Bird feeders have been directly linked to outbreaks of mycoplasmal conjunctivitis among house finches, an eye disease that progressively blinds affected birds and makes it impossible for them to detect predators or feed. Feeders may also have fueled epidemics of trichomonosis, an upper-digestive tract disease associated with sharp declines of greenfinches and chaffinches in the United Kingdom, writes PBS Nature. Salmonella is a particular risk on platform feeders, where birds may defecate directly into the seed supply.

The birds you're trying to protect may be picking up a death sentence instead.

3. Your Feeder is a Hunting Ground for Predators

A bird feeder does not just attract birds. It creates a predictable, concentrated food source that neighborhood predators quickly learn to exploit. Cats are the most devastating; according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, free-roaming cats kill more than 2.5 billion birds per year in the United States and Canada, making them one of the single largest human-associated causes of bird death. A feeder turns your yard into a reliable hunting ground.

Hawks and raptors also key in on feeders as easy hunting opportunities. Some ornithologists note that certain normally migratory hawk species now opt to stay put year-round in regions where feeders provide sufficient prey. The feeder you put up for songbirds may, in practice, be sustaining the predator that hunts them.

4. Bird Feeders Attract Rats, Mice, and Bears

Spilled seed doesn't disappear. It accumulates on the ground beneath feeders, and that ground-level food source is a direct invitation to rats, mice, squirrels, and, in many parts of the country, raccoons and bears. Wildlife officials recommend removing feeders entirely if you live in bear country; once a bear discovers a feeder, it will return reliably, and the situation can become dangerous.

Homeowners have reported serious tick infestations traced directly to bird feeders by pest control professionals. Neighbors have successfully pursued legal action in HOA disputes over rat infestations originating from a single feeder next door. Birdseed stored improperly in plastic bags in garages attracts rodents that can then enter the home itself. Jordan Rutter of the American Bird Conservancy recommends only airtight metal containers for seed storage, which adds cost and inconvenience that most feeder owners have never factored in.

5. The Upkeep Is More Demanding Than Most People Realize

The feeder sitting in your yard right now, the one you filled two weeks ago and haven't touched since, is almost certainly a disease vector. The Wild Bird Fund's director, Rita McMahon, recommends in AARP to clean bird feeders at least once a week using a 10% bleach solution, replacing seed any time it gets wet. Hummingbird feeders, where bacteria multiply rapidly in sugar solutions, require cleaning every three to five days.

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Most people do not come close to this standard. A dirty feeder doesn't just stop working; it actively harms the birds that visit it. Moldy seed, hardened residue, and accumulated droppings create conditions where Salmonella, aspergillosis, and other pathogens spread efficiently from one bird to the next.

A well-maintained feeder requires more regular attention than most houseplants; an unmaintained one is worse than having no feeder at all.

The costs accumulate, too. One bird feeder owner interviewed by AARP spends $55 a month on seed for five feeders, filling them every three to four days during active seasons. Factor in specialty equipment like squirrel guards, proper storage containers, and replacement feeders, and the expense adds up to several hundred dollars per year.

6. Bird Feeders Can Alter Bird Behavior in Harmful Ways

This is the issue that most feeder advocates prefer not to discuss. Concentrated supplemental feeding changes bird behavior in ways that range from ecologically disruptive to outright lethal. Some studies have linked bird feeding to lower egg production and hatching success, though the precise mechanisms are still being studied.

The Florida Scrub-Jay, a federally threatened species, offers the starkest example. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, people began feeding these striking birds peanuts, enjoying how readily they came to the hand. Research showed that fed jays reproduced earlier in the season than unfed birds, but their chicks hatched before caterpillars were available for food, leading to starvation. Feeding Florida Scrub-Jays is now illegal without a federal permit.

Audubon's guidelines note that the same logic applies more broadly: any feeding that draws birds toward roads, alters their natural foraging timing, or causes them to approach humans in vulnerable ways poses real risk.

7. The Environmental Cost is Higher Than You Think

Here is a number most birdseed buyers have never considered. USGS wildlife biologist Sam Droege points out that producing the birdseed that fills backyard feeders requires hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land, much of it converted from native prairie and wetland habitat. As Droege argues, it is deeply ironic to remove native habitat to build a house and lawn, then fill a feeder with seed grown on land that was itself converted from the very habitat birds need.

Commercial birdseed is typically packaged in plastic and shipped long distances, adding to its environmental footprint. The house sparrows and starlings eating most of it do not need conservation support. The birds that do need help, the ones whose populations are genuinely declining, are rarely visiting the feeder.

There's a Better Way to Actually Help Birds

Native plants, fresh water, and reduced mowing. That is the consensus recommendation from the National Wildlife Federation, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, consistently, across decades of research.

Native trees and shrubs do everything a feeder does, and then some. Serviceberries, coneflowers, sumacs, crabapples, and asters provide seeds, berries, nectar, and nesting cover through every season. Critically, they also support the insects, especially caterpillars, that baby birds require to survive and thrive. No feeder provides that. Native plantings create more of an ecosystem, attracting a wider variety of birds, while also providing cover, nesting habitat, and support for pollinators.

A moving water source, even a simple fountain or bubbling birdbath, attracts more species than a seed feeder, requires no weekly bleach cleaning, creates no rodent problem, and benefits every bird in the neighborhood, including the ones that never visit feeders at all. Leaving sections of lawn unmowed, raking leaves under trees rather than bagging them, and allowing spent flower heads to stand through winter are all low-effort, high-impact habitat improvements that support birds far more meaningfully than a seed feeder ever could.

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South African authorities arrested a 28-year-old man whom they caught trafficking 150 venomous scorpions through Cape Town airport, police said on Saturday.

The man had concealed the live arachnids between his clothing inside his luggage, police said.

His arrest on Friday followed an intelligence operation in which officers circulated his description before intercepting him at the airport.

"He was arrested under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act, being in possession of a wild animal," police said in a statement, without naming the man. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.

Police released an image of the scorpions, which appear to be individually wrapped in plastic.

Investigators did not disclose his intended destination.

The scorpions have been handed over to a wildlife facility for safekeeping, while officials assess their market value.

Wildlife trafficking remains a major threat in South Africa, one of the world's most biodiverse countries. Last August, six people, including a well-known rhinocerous breeder, were charged in South Africa in connection to an international rhino horn trafficking network.

Crime syndicates target iconic species such as rhinos and elephants, but also lesser-known creatures including pangolins and reptiles, feeding a lucrative global black market.

Last year, a scorpion stung a woman at Logan Airport in Boston while she was getting luggage in the baggage claim area of customs at the international terminal.

A person infected with measles passed through San Francisco International Airport and two busy San Jose grocery stores, health officials have revealed.

The alert involves an adult from Santa Clara County who was infectious while passing through the major transport hub on Thursday morning between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The individual moved through the international terminal, including passport control, customs and baggage claim areas.

Later that night, between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., the same person visited two San Jose locations: Trader Joe's and International Halal Market.

Anyone who was present at those sites during the specified time frames may have been exposed, officials said.

Because measles is among the most contagious diseases in the world, health authorities warned that symptoms could appear seven to 10 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and rash.

Unvaccinated individuals are being urged to quarantine, avoid large gatherings and monitor for signs of illness for up to three weeks.

Officials also stressed that pregnant women, infants, immunocompromised individuals and the unvaccinated should seek medical guidance immediately if exposure is suspected.

Health officials warned that anyone developing symptoms should contact a medical provider before visiting in person, in order to reduce the risk of further transmission.

The situation comes as California records its highest annual measles count in seven years.

As of June 8, the state has confirmed 49 cases, already nearly double the total recorded in all of 2025 and the highest since 2019, when 73 cases were reported.

State data shows 94% of cases involve unvaccinated individuals, and more than 80% are in people under 19, highlighting ongoing gaps in immunity despite generally high vaccination coverage in the Bay Area.

Dr. Sarah Rudman, Santa Clara County's health officer, emphasized that vaccination remains the strongest protection against measles and helps prevent widespread outbreaks even when exposures occur.

County officials are coordinating with the California Department of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on contact tracing tied to the exposure sites.

Santa Clara County has issued similar exposure warnings in recent years, including in February 2026 and May 2025, as measles continues to reappear in California through international travel cases and pockets of low vaccination.

Nationally, officials have also reported a broader resurgence, including a major outbreak in West Texas during 2025 that led to more than 750 cases, dozens of hospitalizations, and two deaths among unvaccinated patients.

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A disease-causing tapeworm long found in Canada and the Midwest has been found in West Coast wildlife for the first time, University of Washington researchers are warning.

Exposure to the tapeworm, known as Echinococcus multilocularis, can cause cancer-like cysts to form in the liver and other organs years later, and infections can be fatal without treatment.

Although, not all carriers become sick and dogs, coyotes, wolves and other related species can support thousands of tapeworms in their intestines without becoming sick, the researchers say. The latest tapeworm can be transmitted to humans, so its not just animals at risk.

Researchers identified the tapeworm in 37 of 100 coyotes they surveyed in the Puget Sound region in a study published in March.

"The fact that we found it here in one-third of our coyotes was surprising, because it wasn't found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest until earlier this year," Yasmine Hentati, who recently graduated from the school and is the study's lead author, explained in a previous release.

Infections begin when rodents eat coyote feces that contain the tapeworm's eggs. Coyotes eat those rodents and the cycle continues.

Dogs may also eat coyote feces and humans are exposed by eating food that's been contaminated with the eggs.

"The reason that it's so high in coyotes is because they are regularly eating raw rodents, and that is the primary way for them to get infected. Most domestic dogs are not eating the raw livers of wild rodents," Hentati said.

When infected, animals and humans can develop the cyst-forming disease known as alveolar echinococcosis, which may not show symptoms for between five to 15 years after exposure.

The rate at which symptoms appear typically depends on the location of the cyst, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cysts can be painful, leading to discomfort in the upper abdomen, weakness or weight loss, appearing similar to the symptoms of liver cancer or cirrhosis.

However, human deaths are rare and the overall risk of infection remains low. There were only 41 deaths in humans between 1990-2007, including many who were first exposed outside of the U.S. and people who tend to livestock, Los Angeles County found in 2012.

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Further spread into the U.S. may be because neither Canada nor the U.S. require dogs to undergo deworming upon arrival, the Washington researchers say.

Past studies have also suggested that the tapeworm could have been spread via red foxes imported for hunting 100 years ago. But that hasn't been confirmed.

Some cases in remote Alaska in the 2010s were also tied to a parasite with different origins from the current outbreak, including an older variant than was seen in the Washington coyotes.

The best way to stay safe is to avoid sources of exposure.

Give dogs preventative medication for worms and techs and ensure they go to a veterinarian often who can run tests for parasites.

"To minimize the risk of dogs getting infected with E. multilocularis, owners should not let them prey on rodents or scavenge their carcasses," Guilherme Verocai, an associate professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, added.