“This is a real risk,” states Tatsuzawa. By comparing these figures to a similar count conducted in January of this year, prior to the Japanese government barring most overseas visitors, they found that since the onset of the pandemic the percentage of deer present during the daytime had fallen from 71.9% of the overall herd to 50.2%, and that the nighttime ratio had also decreased from 56.5% to 34.9%. Whether the recent decline in tourism across Asia will reduce the numbers of deer in Nara or macaques in Lopburi remains to … Deer that are resting typically bring up previously swallowed food, or cud, to chew it again, a process called ruminating. According to the Nara Prefectural Government, the number of consultations about damage by deer totaled 36 between April and October, already exceeding the 24 cases throughout the past fiscal year that ended in March. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. This includes limiting feedings by tourists to encourage deer to forage on their own and increasing the amount of natural vegetation in the park, giving animals shelter to graze and raise young free from interference by people. Image courtesy: Gooogle Trends. In June, researchers tallied deer in the central area of the park, which usually sees the highest concentration of people, during the day and at night to determine what portion of the population was present. In the wild, deer typically spend the night in forested areas and move to open, grassy spaces during the day to forage. ; The photo is real but the claim is misleading. Tokyo Olympic head Yoshiro Mori says he won't resign despite uproar over sexist remark. COVID-19 Updates (Image courtesy of the Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) The National Archives is committed to the health and safety of our visitors and staff. Nara Park is Japan’s oldest public park and features friendly deer COVID-19 has resulted in a smaller number of visitors to the park and deer have been underfed The specialty of the Nara public park is the scores of deer bowing courteously to get a piece of food from the tourists. The flocks of tourists will eventually return, though, making it highly likely that deer will again grow dependent on people unless authorities put measures in place to protect the autonomy of herds. Nara Park’s Deer in the Age of the Coronavirus. Foreign tourists to the city decreased to nearly zero in April. ), [© Fuji News Network, Inc. All rights reserved. Translated and edited by Nippon.com. But unexpected affected parties are actually the wild deer roaming at Nara Park in Japan. Volunteers are working together to try to end the problem. Fuji News Network Nara – A decrease in visitors to Nara Park due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has brought about changes in the behavior of deer based in the park in western Japan. Also, they are increasingly spotted in city areas. Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. Update Dec. 1, 2020: Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases, The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation has canceled the daily livestream of the deer gathering. Humans are not alone in having their lifestyles turned topsy-turvy by the pandemic. Read more: All 13 workers sent home from Red Deer meat plant test negative for COVID-19 "This is a tragedy in every sense," said Thomas Hesse, … A girl wearing a face mask looks at a sika deer at a temple on March 12, 2020 in Nara, Japan. nature However, with tourism coming to a near halt in Japan’s ancient capital, as well as across the rest of the country, these easy sources of tucker have disappeared, and hungry deer are now reverting to their natural foraging instincts. “We’ve also seen animals moving outside the park with greater frequency, which raises the danger of friction with human society, including damage to private gardens by grazing groups and deer being struck by cars.”, He stresses that a consensus has yet to be forged on how best to approach the issue, but he points to two main trends over the last thirty years that have molded the current relationship of deer and people. And although some of the deer have left the park for a more wild and healthy life, […] Japan extends travel restrictions and tightens quarantine measures, Harvard astronomer argues that alien vessel paid us a visit, Japan is moving closer to vaccinations: Here's how the rollout will work. Usually, Nara's tourists line up to take selfies with the deer and feed them sugar-free treats or "deer crackers," which are mostly made of wheat flour. Nara is a famous tourist spot in Japan. While many experts view this as a positive development, it raises concerns about how it might impact individuals that have grown accustomed to interacting with people. A significantly higher number of deer were also spotted grazing leisurely alongside their reposed comrades. Nara, Japan boasts the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue and the UNESCO World Heritage Site it is enshrined at, Todaiji Temple, but tourists may be equally enamored by the famous free-roaming deer that reside in the nearby Nara Park. Nara Park itself has also changed. The park usually has some 13 million visitors annually. However, Tatsuzawa insists that as a protected species, they are left to their own devices. According to researchers from Hokkaido University, the number of deer reported during daytime in June in the park's central area was around 30% below the January level before the spread of the virus. Some shops have reported that their products were eaten by deer from the park. Restaurants are empty. Goodwill of strangers now threatens to do the deer more harm than good. Republic World did a fact check on deer sitting on Ooty road viral image. “Visitors today no long keep their distance, but instead treat them much like pets.”. deer. NARA, Japan (AP) — Tours are canceled. NARA -- Deer living in and around Nara Park in this Japanese ancient capital that are usually well-fed by tourists have been starving as the popular s･･･ ... (COVID-19) on April 8. The Deer of Nara are being affected by the global pandemic of Corona Virus / Covid-19, but not in the way you might think. Most Japanese news coverage of the story did not include the fact the deer caught in the traps would be killed. Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division. Taken as a whole, the survey suggests that as the pandemic keeps visitors away from Nara Park, deer are gradually reverting to a more natural way of life. The coronavirus has thwarted many of our travel plans, affecting businesses of all scales. The ratio of animals seen lying down in grassy areas during the January headcount was 19.3% during the day and 37.9% at night. “Luckily we have years of knowhow, such as building deer fences, to rely on.”, The efforts and expertise of people like Tatsuzawa and his team are essential to creating a sustainable environment where deer can exist in a wild state. In June, the percentages rose to 59.1% and 55.2%, respectively. 広告出稿に関するおといあわせはこちらまで. With significantly fewer people visiting the park, though, deer were reverting to previous nocturnal habits and were also spending more time grazing in areas adjacent to the park. Professor Tatsuzawa Shirō, who led the team from Hokkaidō University, shed some light on what researchers are learning. Blame Coronavirus. “It is now operated more like other urban parks rather than as a nature preserve as originally intended,” Tatsuzawa notes. The coronavirus season has taken its toll on the tourism industry, and the local wildlife are noticing the lack of their usual visitors. In Nara Park, the ubiquitous herds of deer that roam the grounds have had to adapt as tourists stay away. “We humans have a duty to preserve these unique and protected animals.”, (Originally published in Japanese on FNN’s Prime Online on June 19, 2020. "Some 30 pots for pansies and other flowers have been damaged" by deer, a flower shop manager in his 50s said, adding that he saw deer around his shop near the park almost every day in July and August. “They roam where they want, forage when they feel like it, and reproduce completely independently of human intervention.”, He recognizes, however, that herds have come to depend on humans to a great degree, much to the detriment of the overall wellbeing of the population. The lack of tourists has had an unintended impact on the deer in Nara prefecture, Japan, as the animals usually depend on crackers from tourists. By contrast, the number of deer moving to the wooded area started rising in February, when the COVID-19 outbreak began to spread in the country. Nine of those deer appear to have been killed by eating plastic. And centuries-old temples are quieter than usual in the ancient capital city of Japan, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. ], Nara Prior to the virus outbreak, visitors eagerly pampered the animals with handouts of “deer crackers” and other fodder. We are closely monitoring the situation regarding COVID-19, and we are working with public health officials and our counterpart agencies to monitor and respond to the evolving He sees the return of natural behavior as an opportunity for animals to recoup and revitalize. “It’ll be a process of trial and error to come up with an approach that works,” Tatsuzawa says. "Deer that had depended on rice crackers from tourists turned their eyes to natural plants and left the central area," said Hokkaido University assistant professor Shiro Tatsuzawa. Wandering Deer. “You’ve seen animals grow tame as tourism at the park increased,” he explains. According to the fact check by Republic World, the deer sitting on Ooty road rumour is incorrect. The survey also showed that deer are adopting a slower pace of life and are resting more. Nara was once the capital of Japan and has an important place in the country’s history. Nara’s Famous Deer Wander Streets, Station In Search Of Food After Coronavirus Tourism Drop. The Nara Municipal Government said that the number of Japanese visitors to the park during the coronavirus state of emergency between April 16 and May 14 plunged 85% from a year before. The new coronavirus is affecting the lives of Nara’s deer, a protected species living in and around Nara Park in Nara City. “Nara Park is a World Heritage Site,” stresses Tatsuzawa. Meanwhile, he warned that weak deer may die if the number of tourists to the park does not recover, as food in the wooded area becomes scarce in winter. ... Jurong Point & FairPrice in Aljunied visited by infectious Covid-19 cases on Oct. 10 & 11. The sacred deer of Nara miss their old diet of rice crackers. 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