Even the thousands of free-roaming deer of Nara Park are getting hit pretty hard by the threat of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world as the number of tourists visiting the area have substantially fallen.
The Nara Deer usually get their source of food from the hordes of tourists who visit every day and feed them rice crackers sold from the park. But with no tourists around to feed them, the Nara Deer have taken measures to look for food outside.
奈良の鹿が観光客激減で駅前や市街に出てきてるなんて。あらまー pic.twitter.com/MWnnjAluFh
— まいてぃ999@3/17誕生日FANP待ってるぜぇ (@mighty999) March 6, 2020
せんべいが貰えず街中に出没する鹿
※せんべいは主食ではないので餓えることはないとのこと pic.twitter.com/kdAwgdY0ZE
— 卑屈な奈良県民bot (@nntnarabot) March 8, 2020
Japanese news outlets have reported sightings of the Nara Deer herd along the streets and crosswalks, reportedly eating shrubs and flowers on the sidewalks. They were even spotted around the Nara Train Station which is a 20-minute walk from the park!
Locals have already taken to social media to urge others to visit Nara Park and feed the poor deer. However, the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation shares that this is not the first time that deer have roamed out as far as the station. They did say, though, that they weren’t sure if there’s a sizeable increase in the roaming deer this year and whether this really was the effect of the drop in tourists due to the COVID-19.
JR奈良駅までシカ来てる！！
ヤバ！マジで鹿煎餅なくなったんやな！ pic.twitter.com/ZjIRyxeLtc
— Web系YouTuberタカモリ (@takamoriWebtube) March 7, 2020
3月2日朝のJR奈良駅、30年住んでるけどはじめて、奈良公園から2kも離れた所に鹿が。観光客が鹿せんべいをくれないから遠くまできて朝食。奈良に来て鹿せんべい食べさせて！ pic.twitter.com/OuSyYJ8KYo
— まるちゃん (@lovemaruchanday) March 1, 2020
今朝の?動画
コンビニへ寄り道の巻?#奈良#鹿 pic.twitter.com/bnqJnqCyyI— okadennis (@okadennis) March 4, 2020
(ALSO READ: Deer from Famous Nara Park Dies from Having 3kg of Plastic in Its Stomach)
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