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Enfield resident feeding wild animals allegedly leads to dead animals in neighborhood

Due to the increase in wildlife, neighbors also believe someone else is taking matters into their own hands and killing off the extra animals.

ENFIELD, Conn. — Homeowners in Enfield are fed up after noticing an increase of dead wild animals in their neighborhood.

“We're noticing more and more incidents of dead animals showing up in the neighborhood with no obvious external trauma to their bodies. It looks like they are peeling over and dying,” Kerrie Rohrbacher, who lives nearby said.

Rohrbacher has lived in the Westford Avenue area for more than 20 years and says that it wasn’t until recently she noticed something strange.

"We do have one neighbor who, in her kindness, believes she is doing the right thing by leaving food out for the wild animals,” she said.

That neighbor didn't want to go on camera but did admit to leaving cat and bird food in her front yard. 

However, neighbors say that’s not all she leaves out front. 

Rohrbacher says she has seen human food left in the yard, and other neighbors say they saw a rotisserie chicken, take-out containers with food in them and even leftovers.

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Animal sightings of skunks, raccoons and coyotes have increased because of the left-out food, neighbors believe. 

Neighbors say because of the increase in wildlife, someone nearby is taking matters into their own hands and possibly killing off the extra animals. 

Residents in the area have called the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Animal Control and even their district's town councilor to get something done.

"At the moment, we are working hard to try and solve the immediate problem by working with this neighbor, helping her to understand that feeding the wild life, while a kind gesture or what may seem like a kind gesture, is doing more harm than good,” said John Santanella, of the Enfield Town Council 2nd District.

Neighbors say they have told this woman multiple times why leaving food out is bad.

However, Enfield does not have a town ordinance against leaving food out so, right now, there's not much the police or the town can do about it.

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Kaye Paddyfote is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kpaddyfote@fox61.com. Follow her on XFacebook and Instagram

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