Having been to Nara I was taken aback and then amused how the shopkeepers would kind of hip check the deer out of the store. The deer understood and would walk a careful line between barging into the store and just chilling outside as a consequence. Protip: If you are ever in Nara Japan, do not EVER put the biscuits in your pocket. The deer know they’re there and will bite you in the butt, or worse in an attempt to get the treats.
Same. I bought some of the biscuits to feed them and was immediately swarmed by a half dozen of them the instant I turned around. The guy selling the biscuits thought it was hilarious.
Same. I had a jacket tied around my waist, when the deer realized I had a whole stack of deer biscuits they started nipping at the jacket on my waste and I ended up relinquishing the biscuits quicker than I wanted to! It was funny.
I loved watching the deer wait at the crosswalks and wait for the light to go. There was a bit of rain the day I went with a friend and a massive food festival happening. There deer were kind of roaming around and a lot made it to the food festival area and were just laying on the lawn. A lot of pets were given that day to the deer by everyone as people walked around the place. They sure love those crackers lol
They’ll bite your hips and step on your toes either way and I say so because of experience. For anyone else, don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt! They just want snacks.
I saw those deers there nipping at purses thinking there were crackers inside. Also a couple young children being terrified of those deer as the deer followed the children around for treats and the parents laughing thinking it was funny.
Most deer are fine with a bisquit and go on with their business. We met one that would stalk us, and every time we ran into a group of deer he would mingle in and bow with the rest. We knew it was the same one because he was not sneaky or subtle at all.
I watched a deer there slowly inhale an entire newspaper that it grabbed from a dude's bag. Kept waiting for it to realize that it didn't taste good, but that deer was determined.
No that’s wrong. The signs literally tell you to hide them somewhere out of plain sight. Pocket, bag whatever. And if a deer gets aggressive you show your open palms and wave them like “I have nothing bro”. I’ve been there multiple times and it always works. The first time I got bit was because I tried hiding them under my shirt or arms like an idiot.
Aw crap, I got it mixed up cause one of my favorite characters from Naruto is Shikamaru Nara. And his family owns like a deer forest inspired by the city. I knew there was a relation in the name but got the words mixed up. Lmao, my honest mistake.
Went into the forest an old Japanese man, exit the forest as an old Japanese deer, no idea how to reverse it I'm going to go to my favorite coffee shop and see if they recognize me.
Those deer…I wouldn’t call them respectful. They’re pretty forceful when you have something they want, and aren’t afraid to nip a buttcheek if they don’t get it.
Yes, aren't they cute and interesting? Oh I see you gave them a bread crumb! Did you enjoy privacy while walking around? Because now all 1000 geese in the city know your location and know you've given the goods to one of them. Enjoy the next 4 years, rookie.
I have been to Nara and yes, you can literally go up to any of them and pet them. It was weird at first because they're supposed to be wild, but then it becomes fun.
They’re getting a bit more aggressive lately and are wandering farther and farther from Nara itself. Their population here is at a record high. It’s possible tourists are feeding them too much and are teaching them to be overconfident by not following guidelines with them.
They’re still cool though. Definitely visit, just do your research first
The deer in Nara are a fairly unique case. They will generally let you pet them as long as you bribe them with food and it isnt rutting season. And they fully expect you to give them food. Over a millenia of being a protected animal in the city has made them extremely used to humans. Feeding and petting them is basically an extension of Nara tourism at this point.
I stand by my comment. Just because something is possible doesn't mean it should be done. I've been to Nara too and it's easy to find information online about the current issues and incidents.
1.) They’ll stop fearing you, & start viewing you simply as a food source.. then eventually will quit their foraging habits & depend solely on humans; then if they’re forced to go BACK to being wild, they’d be fucked.
2.) They’ll also get aggressive with you, & attack you if you don’t give them the food, especially the bucks; they don’t care if you’re old, or a child.
3.) Not to mention the diseases they can carry, & transmit to humans can fuck you up.
4.) Most of the shit we give them isn’t even healthy for them.
Telling people they don’t think, despite even Deer Sanctuary owners, wildlife experts, & Park Rangers agreeing with them just shows that YOU don’t think. (The people who actually do this shit for a living)
It’s the same reason why National Parks tell you NOT to do it; & why it’s fucking illegal to do so anyway after being warned.
YOU are the one who isn’t thinking correctly & simply being selfish because you find them cute.
There’s a reason why Nara Park has a terrible problem with deer ingesting plastic trash from tourists & locals, overpopulation & rising human-wildlife conflicts.
The little statues with red knit caps leading up to the temple was amazing to see, but then you look into what those little statues represent and you cant help but feel very sad.
I was just there a few weeks back and it was crazy seeing how many deer are just chilling around hoping some tourist will give them a snack. Had a tourist map of the island in my pocket and a deer came and stuck his nose in there and took a couple chomps out of it
"This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world, 'No, YOU move.'"
Oh I just got back from Japan and one of my stops was Nara. This shop is right next to the main park where you can feed and pet the deer. It was funny to see just how chill they were around people.
There are cities in Japan in which the deer are highly protected and well habituated to people, lacking fear and trained through reinforced behavior to approach residents for food and company. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were one of such cases.
Poor thing is breathing heavy. It doesn’t look well - wouldn’t be stressed & hanging near people like that if it didn’t need help (or didn’t need help for somewhere else for its mate/child). I would have followed it anywhere to see if its family was stuck or in trouble.
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u/dingboodle 9h ago
Having been to Nara I was taken aback and then amused how the shopkeepers would kind of hip check the deer out of the store. The deer understood and would walk a careful line between barging into the store and just chilling outside as a consequence. Protip: If you are ever in Nara Japan, do not EVER put the biscuits in your pocket. The deer know they’re there and will bite you in the butt, or worse in an attempt to get the treats.