As explained above (section 4), a person must provide food for the animals in his care, but he is not obligated to feed ownerless animals. Thus, one who sees hungry animals in the wild need not go out of his way to provide them with food, since the mitzva of tzedaka applies to human beings, not animals. For this reason, one is not obligated to save food scraps for ownerless animals. Nevertheless, one who has compassion on such animals and gives them leftover food fulfills a mitzva, as it is stated about God: “His compassion extends to all His works” and “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor” (Tehilim 145:9, 16), and a person is commanded to cleave to God’s ways. Since feeding them is a mitzva, one may even make a small effort on Shabbat, a day meant for rest, to place leftover food where hungry animals can eat it. This applies only to animals that are hungry and have difficulty finding food, such as dogs and cats. Animals that readily find food without human help, such as bees, do not warrant this effort on Shabbat (SA OḤ 324:11; AHS OḤ 324:2–3; MB 324:31).
It is also proper to take care not to drive any species of animal or plant to extinction. In recent times, technological development has enabled the human population to grow dramatically. As a result, many forests have been cut down, fields have been cleared, and many species have been forced out of their natural habitats and now face extinction. We should therefore try to limit the harm done to animals and preserve the species God created, for each one has its own value and special role. As the Sages said (Shabbat 77b): “Everything God created in His world, He did not create a single thing for nothing.” They gave examples of animals that seem useless but in fact serve various purposes, including medical uses. The Sages further taught, as reflected in Perek Shira, that each species offers God its own unique praise. When a species becomes extinct, the world’s wholeness is diminished, as it were, and God’s praise is diminished as well. It is therefore proper to support efforts and organizations dedicated to preventing animal species from becoming extinct. Nevertheless, when genuine human needs conflict with the needs or survival of animals, human needs prevail.
