The Royal Parks has issued yet another warning following the latest incident involving people getting close to deer.
It follows two well publicised incidents this month, one where a man was seen “batting” a stag away with a tree branch in Richmond Park as he enjoyed a picnic, and another, where children were seen offering food to deer in Bushy Park. Both were filmed and are circulating on social media.
A Royal Parks spokesperson said: “We are shocked and alarmed to see that more videos and photographs are circulating online of park visitors feeding and approaching deer in Bushy Park, just days after we warned of the dangers of getting too close to the deer, and after a man in Richmond Park was injured by a stag this weekend.
“This is highly dangerous behaviour. Deer in Bushy and Richmond Parks are wild animals and should never be fed, approached or touched. Repeated feeding can cause deer to lose their natural wariness of people and seek out food from visitors, creating risks for both people and wildlife. Getting this close, and offering food, puts people at real risk of serious injury.
“This weekend, an incident occurred in Richmond Park which resulted in a man being injured by a stag, after the stag approached his picnic group looking for food. We understand from the police that thankfully the injuries were not life-threatening. Sadly, the stag’s behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors. We suspect that this particular stag may have learnt to associate visitors with food. If visitors follow our advice and do not feed or interfere with the deer, it is highly unlikely that they will exhibit this type of behaviour.
“Our advice is simple. Keep at least 50 metres away, never feed or touch the deer, and if one comes towards you, put all food and packaging out of sight and move away slowly and calmly. Do not try to move the deer away yourself.
“Between them, Richmond Park and Bushy Park cover 3,600 acres. Our staff and volunteers do a great job of speaking to visitors, and we have signage across the parks, but we cannot be everywhere at once. We need everyone who visits to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to keep themselves, other visitors and the deer safe.
“If you witness someone putting themselves, others or the deer at risk, please do not try and intervene but report it immediately to the police.”
Richmond’s Council leader says the removal of Royal Parks Police has had a detrimental effect on Richmond and Bushy Park’s wildlife.
The dedicated officers were disbanded by the Mayor of London last year in an effort to tackle a £260 million Met Police budget gap.
At the time, Sir Sadiq Khan said it was a tough decision and Neighbourhood officers were now responsible for policing the park.
But Lib Dem Gareth Roberts has told Jackie News the whole situation needs to be re-thought. You can listen here.
