Why is feeding deer in The Royal Parks a problem?

The deer in both parks are wild animals, and can act unpredictably around humans.

Unlike deer in other places, such as the city of Nara in Japan where deer are regularly fed by people, London’s deer should not be approached or fed.

Richards said the deer in The Royal Parks had begun to associate visitors with food, which was “not their natural behaviour”.

“Enjoy the deer, respect the deer, keep a safe distance from the deer,” he said.

“Don’t feed them, they don’t need feeding. Some people think they’re doing a good deed. In fact you’re not, you’re doing quite the opposite.”

Richards said that if fed, the deer began to associate people with food and would be more likely to approach groups or individuals in the park.

This, he warned, was dangerous to visitors and put them at risk of serious injury.

Feeding deer may also increase the risk of them ingesting plastic, which blocks their stomachs and causes malnutrition.