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Nara, Nov. 14 (Jiji Press)—Incidents of tourists injured by male deer antlers at Japan’s Nara Park, a popular spot known for its free-roaming deer, have spiked recently, prompting authorities to urge caution.
The number of victims at the park in the western city of Nara, the capital of the namesake prefecture, stood at 35 in September, up from five a year before. Male deer tend to get especially aggressive during the autumn mating season, and a fatal incident occurred last month in neighboring Kyoto Prefecture.
According to the Nara prefectural government, many injuries occur when tourists touch deer after giving them so-called deer crackers, a popular product sold within the park.
Ten people were sent to hospital in September, including one who suffered bleeding from a stab several centimeters deep in the thigh.
In the city of Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, in early October, a 68-year-old man was found dead on a rice field bleeding from the chest. Local police believe he was stabbed with the antler of a wild male deer.
The spike in injuries at Nara Park this year is “unusual,” a Nara prefectural official said, attributing it to the fact that the park has about 100 more male deer than in ordinary years.
The prefectural government has been cutting the antlers of about 10 to 15 deer per day since late August to ensure safety. But “we have failed to keep pace, possibly resulting in an increase in injuries,” the official said.
After a local deer conservation group sought help following increasing injuries, the Nara prefectural and city governments began using electronic signage at stations and on social media to call on people to be careful of male deer and not to touch deer thoughtlessly.
“Deer are wild animals, not pets,” said Nobuyuki Yamazaki, an executive of the conservation group. “We hope people interact (with deer) from an appropriate distance.”
“Male deer display heightened aggression during the mating season from September to November,” said deer ecology specialist Shiro Tatsuzawa, specially appointed assistant professor at Hokkaido University. “There may be an influx of male deer from surrounding areas into Nara Park in search of females for breeding.”
