Japan’s Nara Park Issues Warning After Hundreds of Tourists Injured by Deer
Cute, yes. Harmless, no. After hundreds of deer bite cases, the famous Nara Park in Japan has taken steps to educate tourists on how to properly feed their deer.
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Just last year, 180 tourists sustained injuries caused by the famous wild deer in Japan's Nara Park. In a bid to reduce such occurrences this year, Nara Park has issued a warning to tourists not to tease these wild animals when feeding it. The park also shared tips, printed on instruction panels in English, Chinese and Japanese around the park, on how to safely feed the deer without riling them; this includes offering the food immediately and letting the deer see an empty hand after the food is finished.
Located in the city centre of Nara, in the Kansai region of Japan, Nara Park is a major tourist attraction that draws around 13 million visitors annually. Within the park are centuries-old wooden temples and shrines, but the main lure of the area are the free-roaming bambi. Around 1,200 of these animals live in the park and they are deemed as a national treasure.
Despite its cute and seemingly innocuous demeanour, these deer can get aggressive when it comes to food. Special deer crackers are sold around the park and they are popular with tourists, of which many are clueless about the potential dangers they are walking into.