Wild deer that appear perfectly tamed in a park which is open to them and to us. That is Japan’s NARA PARK. You walk behind the deer or the deer tries to shoo you off ….both ways, you get to be near them. It is fun as long as you do not get into their path. So many of them spread so far that initially you feel a bit hesitant to move forward, but then, just stand still and don’t show any fear… they’ll slowly come near you and behind you and in front of you. And you get surrounded by beautiful, healthy deer. One of a kind experience in life.
Did you know that in Shinto, the deer are considered to be messengers of God? And it seems there are more than 1200 deer in that park. Amazing. You can purchase deer crackers from there and feed the deer too. And for me, I was always looking behind me to see if any deer was following me, and you can be sure, they sensed my fear and did trail me to make me jump up in fright often :
Wow, what a unique experience! Thanks for sharing this with us and the lovely photos! It’s something I would love to do and I’m naturally drawn to any type of animal. I am adding this to my list.
That seems to be a great experience, thank you for sharing it with us. I remember reading about this park few years ago and it seemed to me so incredible and surrealist! Deer are usually fearful animals, but here they were tamed and looks so beautiful. Did you get the chance to touch them?
@helga19 , yes you can feed them - buy deer crackers from the small shops at the entry and feed them… I am not so much an animal person …So didn’t do it. But flowers anywhere …I will go after them. My kids know where to search for me if I am missing…
@BorrisS You can see in the pictures how close the deer are to us, human beings, but I did not see people touching or petting them. Maybe it is because of the novelty of the feel and the lack of previous experience of touching wild animals…[I am not an animal person at all, always scared of them. And it is said that animals can really sense your fear]
