Man Injured in Richmond Park Stag Attack, Animal Culled
Emergency services responded to reports of a deer attack on Saturday, leading to a man's hospitalisation and the stag's immediate culling.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Carla Rooney
A man in his 60s sustained chest injuries after a stag attacked him in Richmond Park on Saturday.
Paramedics transported the man to the hospital; his injuries were assessed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
Authorities subsequently put down the stag involved in the attack. A Royal Parks spokesperson stated, "Sadly, the stag's behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors."
The stag had approached the man's picnic group, actively seeking food. A Royal Parks spokesperson described this action as "highly dangerous behaviour."
The Royal Parks consistently advises visitors to maintain a distance of at least 50 meters from deer. They explicitly warn against feeding these wild animals.
Deer in Bushy and Richmond Parks are wild animals and should never be fed, approached or touched.
A Royal Parks spokesperson confirmed, "Deer in Bushy and Richmond Parks are wild animals and should never be fed, approached or touched."
This incident unfolds amid a reported surge in social media content depicting visitors feeding deer. Such practices can cause animals to lose their natural wariness of humans.
The Royal Parks claims a rise in visitors feeding wild animals. Repeated feeding causes deer to lose their natural wariness of people, leading them to actively seek out food from visitors.
This behavior, according to a Royal Parks spokesperson, creates significant risks for both people and wildlife. The spokesperson added, "Getting this close, and offering food, puts people at real risk of serious injury."
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.
The stag is believed to have approached the picnic after it learnt to 'associate visitors with food'. A Royal Parks spokesperson further explained, "We suspect that this particular stag may have learnt to associate visitors with food."
The Royal Parks spokesperson emphasized, "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."
Richmond Park hosts 600-strong herds of red and fallow deer. Visitors are urged to keep all food and packaging out of sight and to move away slowly and calmly if a deer approaches.
A Royal Parks spokesperson advised, "Do not try to move the deer away yourself."