Wildlife officers have shot and killed a buck in one of London’s Royal Parks after it injured a picnicking man as park authorities warned people not to feed the animal.
The charity Royal Parks, which manages the Richmond park where the weekend incident took place, warned that human actions were putting the lives of deer, which have lived there for centuries, at risk.
The charity, which manages several parks and green spaces in London including Hyde Park, Green Park and Regent’s Park, said the man was injured “after the stag approached a picnic group in search of food”. Police said the man’s injuries were non-life threatening.
Royal Parks said in a statement on Instagram: “Unfortunately, this deer’s behavior means it has been deemed a danger to visitors and has had to be culled.” “We suspect this deer has learned 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 behavior.”
A Royal Parks spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the buck was shot and killed by one of the charity’s wildlife officers.
The Metropolitan Police said officers from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) were called to the scene just before 6:30pm (1:30pm ET) on Saturday.
“Officers responded with LAS and located a man in his 60s with a chest wound,” the Metropolitan Police Department said in an email to CNN. “The man was taken to hospital where his injuries were diagnosed as non-life-threatening or life-threatening.”
The Royal Parks Society said it was “shocked and alarmed” to see images and videos of people feeding deer at nearby Bushey Park, which the charity also manages, since the weekend.
“This is an extremely dangerous act,” the statement continued. “Deer in Bushey Park and Richmond Park are wild animals and should never be fed, approached or touched. Repeated feeding can cause deer to lose their natural wariness towards humans and seek food from visitors, creating a danger to both humans and wildlife. Approaching them and offering them food puts people at risk of serious injury.”
Richmond Park’s wild red and fallow deer have a long history. Charles I brought his court to nearby Richmond Palace in 1625 to escape the plague in London. He transformed the landscape into a hunting park and introduced animals in 1637.
Visitors are clearly warned by clear signage not to feed the 630-strong herd and to stay well away from the animals. The same applies to Bushy Park, which is home to 320 deer. The two parks span 3,600 acres (5.6 square miles).
Visitors are urged to stay at least 50 meters (164 feet) away from deer, never feed or handle them, and if a deer approaches, leave food or packages out of sight and slowly and calmly walk away.
Visitors are asked to report anyone who poses a danger to themselves or the animals to police.
