SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Everyone has a hobby in life. For Richard Leblanc, it's capturing animals in their natural habitat.

The local cab driver has enjoyed snapping pictures of animals around the Yellowknife area for the past 10 years, both while at work and at his cabin along Highway 4. He said he does it because of his love of nature.

"I have a love for the animals," he said. "I usually take photos of whatever comes around my cabin or my taxi or if they're just standing around."

As Leblanc said, it's not just taking photo of the birds. He said he tries to grab a photo of whatever passes him by.

"There have been some foxes, some wolves, some other smaller birds," he said. "There were some moose here sometimes and I took pictures of them, also."

Along with his photography prowess, Leblanc also takes the time to feed those animals that come calling to either his cab or cabin. He said he tries to make sure each animal is given as much as possible.

"I feed the ravens that come around, and I also feed the little birds," he said. "I buy about 50 pounds of food and I feed the leftovers I have, so the little birds get their food and the big birds get their food. I mostly give them bread, other animals sometimes get cakes or cookies, so I don't spoil anything. Nothing goes to waste."

Leblanc said a few other cab drivers besides himself also feed the birds. He said he can't tell if they are the same birds, but they don't seem to mind coming over whenever they see the cabs.

"They seem to recognize our cars," he said. "They come and land on our mirrors and it's almost like they ask 'Where's my food?' They don't get scared because they know the vehicles."

While Leblanc's thoughts are in the right place, his habit of feeding the animals isn't exactly the right thing to do, according to Raymond Bourget, senior wildlife officer in the North Slave region for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He said providing animals with food can cause a heap of problems.

"The animals begin to habituate with people and it makes them more likely to approach people," said Bourget. "One of the first indicators of rabies is the animals becoming more bold and when people are approached by animals, they don't know if the animal could be rabid."

Along with the risk factors of feeding an animal, Bourget said animals have specific diets, meaning human food isn't the best thing for them.

"Bread, for example, could gum up a bird's digestive system and could cause serious injuries," he said. "As well, because the animals become used to getting food from a house, they could begin to seek shelter at the home and if the owner decides to move, they could starve because they've become adjusted to being fed by people."

Even if feeding the animals isn't a positive thing, Leblanc said he will keep on capturing the animals in their habitat.

"I'll always have my camera," he said.