When wintry weather hits, we may find ourselves wanting to help animals that are outdoors. If that’s a stray cat or dog, the help is beneficial. If it’s wildlife, though, that may not be the best idea.

As much of the country was facing winter storms in early January, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife shared a news release centered on one message: “Why you shouldn’t feed wildlife this winter.”

The agency says they have residents reach out to them every winter to ask if they should feed wildlife to help them through the colder months. Their answer is no, as animals that live in areas with a wintry climate are already adapted to deal with cold, snow, and biting winds.

The news release says, “While people have good intentions, supplemental feeding of wildlife typically does more harm than good. Most wildlife seasonally change their behavior to adapt to cold temperatures and scarce food supplies. Supplemental feeding can alter that behavior and have detrimental, and sometimes fatal, effects."

Among those effects is the attraction of predators to feeding sites, which can lead to the deaths of other wildlife or even pets. As many animals congregate at feeding sites, there can also be aggressive competition for food and the risk of disease spread. In addition, individual animals may deal with decreased fat reserves as they seek out these feeding sites, along with a higher risk of vehicle collisions as they walk along or near roads.

The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife also recommends against bird feeders, saying that the risk of disease spread can be high there, as well, due to all the animals they can attract. Window strikes and domestic cats can also be a risk for birds that make use of the feeders. They recommend planting more native plants and leaving water out instead.

However, that isn’t a unanimous recommendation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says bird feeders can work in the right conditions but can pose risks if they aren’t managed properly. To avoid disease spread, they say it’s necessary to regularly clean the feeder and take steps to ensure other animals cannot access it.

The USFWS does, though, point out issues with feeding other wildlife. They say it should be avoided year-round due to the risk of malnutrition, package consumption, disease exposure, or animals becoming too comfortable and aggressive with people.

If you want to help wildlife, officials say you can improve their habitat by planting natural foods and cover.