The video, posted online last year, captured a man in a white T-shirt hitting a deer twice as he strolled through the ancient city’s popular park. The incident involving the unidentified man has become emblematic of a rise in problematic encounters between tourists and the deer, officials say.
“This is a serious problem and we get reports of deer being slapped or kicked virtually every day,” said Yumiko O’Donnell, an official at the Nara prefectural government’s tourism bureau.
An estimated 1,400 deer live within the 502 hectares (1,240 acres) of Nara Park, which includes many of the city’s most popular sights, including Todaiji Temple. According to legend, the deer are considered to be sacred as one of the four gods of the Katsugatisha Shrine arrived in the city in 768 on a white deer.
It is illegal to do anything that might injure or kill the largely tame deer, which are designated as national natural monuments.
Since Japan reopened to international travel after the coronavirus pandemic, authorities say there has been a spike in cases of tourists being involved in animal abuse, littering and risky behaviour.
