Richmond Park issues warning over deer mating season

Image above: a person gets too close to a stag in Richmond Park, photograph Stephen Darlington

Being hit by rutting deer like “being mown down by a motorbike”

Richmond Park has issued a warning to people visiting during rutting (mating) season. The male deer undergo “behavioural and physical changes”.

In the lead up to the rut, there are a number of physiological changes to male deer including an increase of testosterone, the doubling of neck thickness, the larynx becoming more prominent and the tongue changing shape.

The Royal Parks charity is urging visitors to be extra vigilant in the run up to the rut, as a stag can weigh around 25 stone and can have lethally sharp antlers. Being hit by a stag travelling at full speed of up to 30mph, the charity says, is the equivalent of being mown down by a motorbike.

Members of the public are being urged to keep at least 50 metres away from the animals at all times and should not ‘wave food or mobile phones’ in the their faces. Dogs should also be kept on leashes, or walked elsewhere, and visitors should never stand between two rutting dear.

‘We urge all visitors to keep their distance’, a statement from The Royal Parks reads, ‘both for personal safety reasons and to avoid disrupting the natural behaviour of the rut. This photograph [above] is an example of what not to do.’

Image above: Red Deer in Richmond Park

Injuries ‘almost exclusively happen’ when people don’t keep their distance

As the rut advances, stags become more exhausted and there is an increased chance of them being overthrown. A stag barely eats or sleeps during the rut and can lose up to a third of its weight during a fortnight of intense activity. The Royal Parks statement says approaching the animals in this state never ends well and they advise against it.

Wildlife photographers specifically have been warned to keep their distance from stags. In previous years park staff have noticed photographers surrounding the animals for pictures, which they say is ‘not only incredibly dangerous, but it’s also stressful for the deer and can interfere with the course of nature.’

Over the years there have been incidents where visitors have suffered avoidable injuries from rutting deer. In 2018, a young girl who was being photographed next to a rutting stag was injured in Bushy Park, and the previous year a visitor was hospitalised after suffering injuries from a male deer in Richmond Park.

Richmond Park said all incidents almost exclusively happen when people get closer than the recommended 50 metres.

For more information on the rut, see below:

royalparks.org.uk/12-things-you-should-know-about-the-deer-rutting-season

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