The Nature Conservancy of Canada is warning people not to dispose of their pumpkins in wild areas.

As the Halloween decorations come down, many may look to let their Jack-O-Lantern decompose naturally in a wooded area.

The Conservancy is warning against this, as the introduction of an unnatural food source can be dangerous to wildlife. As spokesperson Andrew Holland says, wild animals do not require additional food.

He says adding food to areas can lead to habituated problematic individual animals or populations, the congregation of animals which puts them at higher risk of disease, and if near roads, increased risk of being struck by a car.

Holland says there’s also a myth that pumpkin seeds are an effective dewormer.

He says it’s not clear if animals are able to consume enough seeds to have a real effect.

Their group has posted a blog to their site outlining the dangers of dumping pumpkins.