Wild deer at Nara Park in western Japan, a major tourist attraction, have often suffered from eating plastic bags discarded by visitors, but local companies have now succeeded in developing paper bags that the animals can digest.
The deer-friendly bags use paper made with rice bran, which pose fewer health risks if they are eaten, according to one of the three developers.
"We made the paper with the deer in mind," said Hidetoshi Matsukawa, president of one of the developers called Naraism. "Tourism in Nara is supported by deer and we will protect them, and also promote the bags as a brand for the Nara economy."