A new ordinance has been signed into law in New Braunfels, TX. Please be aware that it is soon to be an illegal “offense” to feed the wildlife on public and private land within the city limits.
That means that a sentence that has been both true (and legal) for my children and for me will not be true for my grandchildren–
When I was little I fed the deer at Landa Park.
I have a very distinct memory of my son holding out a graham cracker to one of the deer at the park.
There was a period of time when we went to the park–a park, every day to feed someone–duck, chicken, deer, squirrel, turtle, fish, goose…each animal encounter was a priceless chance to sustain my children’s empathy. They practiced compassion, mercy, self-sacrifice, even science, and the scientific method as they spent time observing and feeding animals.
When we went to feed the animals we also tended to feed the children. We bought food from dozens of local restaurants and groceries. We ate our picnic, hiked, fed the animals. This ordinance prohibiting the feeding of animals in New Braunfels will mean we will buy less food from all these places. We will spend less time and money in New Braunfels.
We will not feed the children at the parks of New Braunfels, if we cannot feed the animals as well. It will be too painful remembering what used to be, for one, but then there is the pesky inviolate injunction of the law. What if we were to drop a cracker or a pizza crust? According to the city ordnance we would be breaking the law.
So, somehow, our city government and elected officials have decided. We should not feed the animals they say. And that leaves me deeply grieved, because I know, my children know, that
What they are really telling us is:
Don’t feed the children!
Because as Jesus has said more eloquently than I could–food is more than food, it is everything that feeds our souls.
And this kind of rich food for the soul of kindness and community and blessing is now thoroughly illegal
In New Braunfels, Texas.
Luke 12:23 NIV
[23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Elealee's Blog 
Hahahaha, thanks for the entertaining read. 😀
To think kids will not be fed because deer aren’t being fed?!? How ridiculous!! Look around you, kids in New Braunfels are not going hungry and it isn’t everyone’s responsibility to care for them. That belongs to the parents that took the kids to the park! And the businesses will not suffer any ill effects from this ordinance. Pretty sure McDonald’s will keep on truckin’.
Im glad you have fond memories of feeding the deer growing up. Kids will always cherish those kinds of experiences. But that cannot continue within city limits. Take them out to a relative/friend deer lease to feed the wildlife.
Deer normally only have one offspring per year, feeding them within city limits causes them to have more than one birth per year! Since your childhood, I’m positive NB has grown tremendously in housing and traffic which in turn is dangerous with MORE deer running around rampantly & unafraid. Want more?? These lovable wildlife also carry lyme disease. Then there’s landscape/garden damage that can occur.
But let’s go back to “Do not feed the kids”. Times have changed since our childhood, it’s more dangerous now. My kids are my responsibility, not a stranger. Are you telling your kids “stay away from strangers unless they want to feed you”? Alright, getting off my soap box…
Thank you for your feedback:). All puns intended
But you do not state why. You need to state why this ordinance is going into effect. I may not like it either, but the why needs to be stated.
In all honesty, Denise, my ultimate concern is not whether or not people get dinged for feeding deer. The ordinance is excessively expansive and speeding is common in and close to city parks. Every dead deer in the road is a speeding event. Why not ticket the speeding humans first? Or require them to properly dispose of the bodies? New Braunfels is a tourist town. When policies become inhospitable, people will go elsewhere
No other city, big or small, has such a comprehensive, broadly inclusive, private property encompassing ordinance just to ostensibly lower deer population
Make sure you read and are comfortable with the full legal parameters of the law