Japan's Nara Park offers feeding tips after an increase in deer bites

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Faced with a growing number of injuries from deer bites, Nara Park in western Japan has begun offering tips for tourists on how to safely feed wild deer inhabiting the park.

Nara Park, with its free roaming deer, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Japan. The deer usually greet tourists with their calm demeanor, and even bow to visitors for crackers.

However, their docile demeanor could be deceptive. There has been increasing cases of tourists bitten by those deer. In 2017, 180 bites were reported, up from 118 injuries in 2016.

Tourists take photos of deers in Nara Park. /VCG Photo

As a result, the Nara prefectural government on Tuesday set up a signpost in Japanese, Chinese and English giving instructions on how to properly feed the wild animal.

The tips include giving the crackers to the deer straightway without teasing them, and showing them both hands to indicate that there is no more food left.

The sprawling park covers 660 hectares and receives millions of visitors every year. The deer in the park are protected as national treasures.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency