Dumping pumpkins in the woods a bad idea, says wildlife expert

You may have heard that dumping pumpkins in the wild is a good way to dispose of your jack-o-lanterns after Halloween, but a wildlife expert says it’s a bad move.

Jensen Edwards of the Nature Conservancy of Canada said throwing your discarded pumpkins in the bush can bring animals together and facilitate the spread of disease or injury.

“When we introduce a food source like a rotting pumpkin into the woods somewhere, you’re bringing all sorts of animals together who sniff it out,” Edwards told 680 CJOB.

“This can become almost a hub for disease transmission, and you’re also creating maybe a reliance on introduced food.

When it happens alongside a highway, it increases the chances of car crashes with animals, Edwards said.

That doesn’t mean your pumpkins need to go into the trash.

“You can bury it in your garden and just compost it that way, or you can call around to your local wildlife rescues or zoos and they might actually be looking for some food for their animals,” he said.

Another option is Compost Winnipeg’s first-ever Pumpkin Drop event on Saturday at CF Polo Park, where participants can drop pumpkins into a truck from two stories up.

3:14 ‘Pumpkin Drop’ in Winnipeg to keep pumpkins out of the landfill