In the Japanese city of Nara, around 1,000 sika deer roam free in a park. The animals have become a major tourist attraction in the country over the years. And one of the most dangerous – hundreds of people are injured by them every year. But the culprit is above all the behavior of those affected.
The city of Nara, south of the Japanese metropolis of Kyoto, is home to one of the most unusual tourist attractions in the country. That doesn’t mean their Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, for which Nara is also famous. Let’s rather talk about the approximately 1,000 sika deer that roam free in the local Nara Park. But now so many visitors come because of the animals that there is always trouble for the Nara deer. Because they may look cute, but they’re far from harmless.
And so there are always incidents where animals attack people and sometimes seriously injure them. But how come the deer of Nara can roam freely in the park? According to official site of the city they are considered sacred by the Japanese and revered as helpers of the gods. They have even been specially protected as a “national treasure” since 1957. This is because, according to legend, a goddess went to Nara on a sika deer. The impressive Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara Park, also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dedicated to her.
More than 200 injured a year
Thus, Nara deer are not confined to the park, but are still officially considered wild. In fact, at least in recent years, it is difficult to talk about this. Because the many tourists who want to see the animals come above all to feed them. To this end, the park administration also officially sells “deer crackers” made from wheat flour and bran, which tourists can feed the deer. And it is precisely in this procedure that the danger to the people lies.
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Like the page”Japanesemore than 200 people were reportedly injured, some seriously, by deer in Nara in 2018 alone. Compared to 2013, when official statistics were first released, the number of injuries has quadrupled. It has also increased continuously every year since 2013. However, the city of Nara understandably doesn’t want to blame either animals or people. In some cases, however, it is difficult to deny previous misconduct by injured tourists.
Rules of conduct for selfie hunters
But first of all, the city explains the growing number of injuries by saying that more and more visitors have been arriving for years. Of course, most of them also wanted to see the Nara deer. But their natural behavior also poses a risk to humans. Because males are considered particularly aggressive during the mating season from September to November. Females, on the other hand, are more aggressive than usual from mid-May to July, especially when they see their offspring at risk.
But it’s not uncommon for people to be responsible for their own injuries. Selfie hunters in particular are apparently at risk here. Again and again there are cases where people try to ride the animals for particularly spectacular snapshots, or even feed them by word of mouth. The city then issued rules of conduct in 2019 that are meant to make dealing with the Nara deer easier. So you should feed the animals quickly and not irritate them. There are various signs on site to remind visitors of the rules and how the animals may react. The deer can not only push you with its horns, but also pull your clothes and bags with its mouth and tear them off. To avoid injury, do not kneel down or touch young animals. If the animals have behaved aggressively, you should throw the food on the ground and show the animals your empty hands.
Garbage becomes a danger to animals
There are now 40 warning signs distributed throughout the park, which are intended to draw the attention of often foreign tourists to the danger posed by the Nara deer. There is also a volunteer patrol that can intervene quickly in the event of an accident. But the victims of the numerous “clashes” are by no means always people, such as the “BBCreported. In 2019, for example, nine sika deer died in agony after eating plastic bags, obviously human waste. More than four kilos of garbage were found in the stomach of one of the animals.
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This is because tourists continue to lure Nara’s deer with unsuitable food, often wrapped in plastic. A cleanup campaign in July 2019 collected more than 31 kilograms of plastic waste. On Tripadvisor, however, you can read the various attacks of animals on humans. “My 10-year-old was bitten twice,” said one user. “When they see you have their favorite food, they quickly become pushy,” he writes a second. The majority, however, are enthusiastic about positive encounters with animals.
Nara Park, founded in 1862, is especially sweet during an official festival called Kojika Koukai. Translated it means “The presentation of the fawns”. In mid-July each year, newborns are shown to the public for the first time together with their mothers in a specially designed enclosure. The cameras are guaranteed to work hot. And all this without any danger to animals or humans.
