- published: 22 Mar 2016
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Hoarding is a general term for a behavior that leads people or animals to accumulate food or other items during periods of scarcity.
Hoarding and caching are common behaviors in many bird species as well as in rodents. Most animal caches are of food. However, some birds will also stingily collect other items, especially if the birds are pets. Magpies are famous for hoarding items such as money and jewelry, although research suggests they are no more attracted to shiny things than other kinds of items.
Civil unrest or natural disaster may lead people to hoard foodstuffs, water, gasoline, and other essentials which they believe, rightly or wrongly, will soon be in short supply.
Some hoarding in humans may be a form of mental illness, specifically obsessive–compulsive disorder, where the perceived importance of the hoarded items far exceeds their true value. In severe cases, houses belonging to such people may become a fire hazard (due to blocked exits and stacked papers) or a health hazard (due to vermin infestation, excretia and detritus from excessive pets, hoarded food, and garbage or the risk of stacks of items collapsing on the occupants and blocking egress paths).