One of the highlights of our visit to Nara (during our visit to Japan), was interacting with the abundance of tame deer which were roaming all over the area. Even though the deer are relatively harmless, they could be a nuisance and a pain if they noticed you had food.
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Our biggest run-in on Nara (and on Miyajima Island) was when a deer in each area decided to eat a gate-check tag hanging off of Lucas’ stroller! It was pretty funny but I have to say that I was a bit upset when our Singapore Airlines tag from our trip the previous Summer became deer food!
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With that being said, the deers could be dangerous if provoked and according to signs posted all over: “The deer of Nara Park are wild animals. They can occasionally attack people, so please be careful.”
We found the warning on the signs credible but maybe a bit much. The deers that we saw didn’t seem too aggressive besides gravitating towards people holding food for them.
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Considering this sign did hold valuable information, what did I find to be so ridiculous? The four images on the sign, which were really funny.
Check out a close-up below:
The sign shows images of various dangers which the deer may cause:
- Bite
- Kick
- Butt
- Knock Down
Besides some deer going for food people were feeding them, we didn’t witness any attacks.
White-tail deer in the US seem equally harmless, but on rare occasions they will attack a person. And when they do, it’s no laughing matter…those horns are pointed, and the hooves can poke a hole in your sternum.
The rutting season (typically winter in the southern US) is when bucks get very aggressive / insane and may attack almost anything or anyone.
There are several illustrative videos on YouTube, which you can find by searching there for ‘deer attack’
Miles- Thanks for the info. I’ll have to look up the videos!
Funny! We passed on the monkey park. I did love the monkey forest in Bali (last summer) though!
In my case, they attempted to eat my shorts.
Did you go to Arashiyama monkey park in Kyoto? That place is even more hilarious.