Feeding wildlife might sound harmless, even sweet, right up until it turns an entire neighborhood into a magnet for raccoons, skunks, and groundhogs.

One homeowner watched a kooky neighbor move in nearby and immediately start scattering food scraps into her bushes, treating it like some kind of nature preserve.

Attempts to explain why this was a bad idea were met with laughter instead of concern, and now there’s a groundhog burrow actively destroying the homeowner’s garden, joining a growing list of unwanted wildlife visitors.

You’ll want to keep reading for the full story.

Crazy Karen neighbor feeding wild animals

We live 200 yds from a large woods/park. She moved in 1 1/2 yrs ago. She thinks herself to be Mother Earth and throws food scraps in her bushes.

This has created some unique problems for the rest of the neighborhood.

She has attracted raccoon families, deer families, squirrels, and skunks to our homes. She laughs when we tell her it isn’t smart.

Now, I have a groundhog burrow in my backyard. It terrorizes my gardens. They can carry rabies, just like raccoons.

This homeowner has already done all they can to address the issue, but they’re still forced to deal with the consequences of this Karen’s behavior.

I have contacted the police and they say there is nothing they can do. The only thing they care about is the 7 cats she keeps in 7 cages in her garage. I believe they are feral, she says they can’t live in her house.

I have had squirrels in my attic, a neighbor had raccoons in her attic.

She seems to have no common sense.

Leave it to a Karen to wreck havoc on an entire neighborhood.

What did Reddit make of this story?

There might be an organization that could offer more help in this situation.

This commenter shares the perils of letting animals roam wild where they don’t belong.

The police may be the wrong people to contact in this situation.

Many organizations exist to prevent this exact issue from happening.

Feeding wildlife isn’t a harmless quirk, it’s a decision that has big consequences for everyone.

Laughing off warnings doesn’t make the rabies risk disappear, and a groundhog burrow actively destroying a garden is a pretty direct result of choices made two houses down.

But luckily this homeowner still has some options. Documenting the pattern, photos of the burrow, notes on repeated feeding incidents, previous attic infestations — these all create a record worth having if this needs to escalate to county health services or animal control.

“Don’t Feed the Animals” signs exist for a reason.