(CNN) — A stag at one of London’s royal parks has been shot dead by a wildlife officer after injuring a man who was having a picnic, as park authorities warn against feeding the animals.
The Royal Parks charity, which manages Richmond Park, where the incident took place over the weekend, warned that human behavior is endangering the lives of the deer who have resided there for centuries.
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 his picnic group looking for food.” The man’s injuries weren’t life-changing or life-threatening, police said.
“Sadly, the stag’s behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors,” Royal Parks said in a statement on Instagram. “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.”
A spokeswoman for the Royal Parks confirmed to CNN that the stag was shot dead by one of the charity’s wildlife officers.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the scene by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) just before 6:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) on Saturday.
“Officers attended alongside LAS and found a man, aged in his 60s, with wounds to his chest,” the Met Police said in an email to CNN. “The man was taken to hospital where his injuries were assessed as non-life-changing or life-threatening.”
‘Dangerous’ behavior
The Royal Parks said it was “shocked and alarmed” to see images and videos of people feeding the deer in nearby Bushy Park, which the charity also manages, since the weekend.
“This is highly dangerous behaviour,” the statement continued. “Deer in Bushy 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 of people and seek out food from visitors, creating risks for both people and wildlife. Getting this close, and offering food, puts people at real risk of serious injury.”
The history of Richmond Park’s wild red and fallow deer is a long one. 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, introducing the animals in 1637.
Visitors are explicitly warned with clearly marked signs not to feed the 630-strong herd and keep well away from the animals. The same applies to Bushy Park, which is home to 320 deer. The two parks cover 3,600 acres (5.6 square miles) between them.
Visitors are advised to keep at least 50 meters (164 feet) away from the deer, never feed or touch them and if one approaches you to put food and packaging out of sight and move away slowly and calmly.
Visitors have been asked to report anyone putting themselves or the animals at risk to police.
The-CNN-Wire
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