Gran Making It Her Mission To Feed Deer Dubbed 'Retired Disney Princess'

A grandmother feeding deer outside her home has been labeled a "retired Disney princess" by users on TikTok.

In the video, which was uploaded by the woman's granddaughter Erika, under username @erikamichelle9, the grandmother can be seen calling out to the deer and throwing food onto the ground while yelling "supper time," as multiple animals emerge from the trees to greet her.

Erika can be heard saying, "You're Snow White actually."

The video has been viewed over 7 million times and the majority of viewers expressed their joy at the scene in the comments.

"This is precious, we don't deserve grandmas," said one user, while another said, "My mama used to do this and the rangers would get so mad at her. She even had my kids feeding them."

Despite the good nature of the video, deer have sensitive digestive systems which can be disrupted by human introduced food, leading to malnutrition and health issues. One user commented, "I know she means well. But please don't feed them corn. Especially in the winter to early spring. It messes with their digestion and can be fatal."

Speaking to Newsweek, a representative of the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (USDA) warned against feeding wildlife due to the potential negative impact, this includes providing supplementary water.

"One of the biggest issues with humans feeding wildlife is that it encourages the animals to associate humans with food, tempting them out of their natural environment and into the path of humans," the USDA representative said.

Deer cause over 1 million motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. every year, resulting in more than $1 billion in property damage, approximately 200 human deaths and 29,000 serious injuries.

As well as the damage to human life and property, teaching wild animals to use humans for food decreases their ability to provide for themselves.

Food and water left out for animals can pose a serious health risk, said the USDA. "It's prone to growing and/or harboring mold, toxins, bacteria and other pathogens that can cause illness in wildlife. Furthermore, encouraging animals to gather together in large groups increases the risk of disease transmission between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.

"Deer and other wildlife do not need assistance from people," said the USDA. "In order to keep our wildlife wild, it's important that we let them fend for themselves, which they are naturally designed to do, and ensures a healthy and balanced population." The USDA says that overpopulated wildlife can suffer due to:

• Increased competition
• Increased density-dependent disease transmission
• Decreased overall health

These factors can lead to an increase in conflict between wildlife and humans, and can lead to an excess of animals, leading to further health problems and culling to preserve the rest or eliminate disease.

Each state has their own regulations regarding wildlife, some states may allow feeding deer while others may prohibit feeding deer. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service does not regulate the feeding of wildlife.

Newsweek has reached out to @erikamichelle9 for comment.

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