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A trio of sandhill cranes threw their own beach picnic in Kensington Metropark, condemned in front of surprised and indignant people and crazy chips and chalupas.

It was a strong reminder not to feed the wildlife, lest they decide to crash your party as uninvited guests.

The guilty party, an adult crane and two chicks, walked innocently enough onto the scene of Maple Beach on Monday, inspiring laughter as they walked through a playground.

But the cheeky beach bums then headed to a blanket under a tree where Adrienne Hardaway and Gabrielle Jackson brought food and drinks from McDonald’s and Taco Bell to enjoy. Residents of Detroit watched in dismay from less than three meters away as the birds first nibbled on a drinking straw and then stuffed their beaks into bags of chalupas, fries and a hamburger.

The women were rendered almost speechless. Unsure of what to do, Hardaway finally picked up a camping chair, folded it up, and waved it in the general direction of the cranes as they shot them away.

“There are fish in the lake,” Hardaway noted. “Why don’t they eat those?”

The birds are natural connoisseurs of fish, plants and seeds. But they are also described as “opportunistic feeders” by the National Wildlife Federation and Michigan State University Extension. They took that label to the next level in Kensington, which they proved when they discovered uncontrolled beach blankets on their food tour.

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As witnesses watched, the adult crane found an unopened bag of sunchips, expertly poked a hole in it and shook out the harvest cheddar treats. All three began pecking before leaving just as the intended chip user returned.

It was a messy situation for Novi resident Rachael Wolf and a crying shame for her 3-year-old daughter, Emily.

As they picked up their belongings to leave the scene of the crime, Wolf tried to comfort the tearful baby about the stolen chips.

Patrick Braun, who witnessed the drama with his daughters, Chloe, 3, and Natalie, 18 months, said: “This is what happens when people feed wildlife.”

While no one on the beach that day intentionally fed the cranes, Danielle Mauter, head of marketing and communications for Huron-Clinton Metroparks, confirmed that Braun’s observation is accurate.

“This is a big issue we have in the parks,” she said. “People have been feeding the wildlife in Kensington in a way they shouldn’t. The wildlife are learning that people are an easy source of food, rather than finding food on their own in wilder ways. And they’re coming to the People and think they have this food source.

Feeding the wildlife is a long-standing problem for the parks where it is prohibited, but is more of a problem in Kensington, one of the most visited parks in the Metroparks system. The problem also extends beyond the cranes to issues with turkeys, chipmunks and squirrels that also approach people.

The park system doesn’t track or manage the number of these animals in the park like it does with deer and goose, but Mauter said park officials sometimes get complaints about animals getting too close. She is not aware of any injuries to humans from these interactions.

However, the threats to wildlife are many. Consumption of human food can cause animal disease and feeding animals does not train them to search for food on their own.

Park visitors are not allowed to knowingly feed animals, but Mauter said they should also make an effort to reach for food outside, secure it in sealed coolers or beach bags and always dispose of trash.

So what do you do when you come face-to-face with a chip-and-chalupa-craving crane or something similar?

Turn the other cheek and remove yourself and your snacks. Don’t put chips or other food on them to get the animals away because they will just come back, and don’t engage with them in any other way. If an animal exhibits aggressive behavior, contact park officials.

“We never want to discourage people from looking for animals, and people flock to the park for that, but remember they are animals,” Mauter said. “Keep a safe distance and don’t feed them.”

Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com or 517-281-2412. Follow her on Twitter @SusanBromley10.

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