Tag - deer

 
 

DEER

Trash cans have been installed at Nara Park for the first time in about 40 years following a rise in littering alongside an increasing number of foreign tourists in recent years.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 5, 2025
Rise in tourists prompts Nara Park to install trash cans to protect deer
Increased littering in the park has created a health hazard for the protected animal.
As peckish deer chase delighted tourists in Japan's temple-dotted Nara Park, a quiet but dedicated team of litter-pickers patrols the stone paths, collecting plastic waste that threatens the animals' health.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 15, 2025
New street patrol helps Nara's deer clean up their act
Garbage dropped by tourists can pose a serious risk to Nara's famous deer, but a new group is cleaning up the town.
An Asian black bear preys on a live deer caught in a trap in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, in May, in this image from video footage shot by researchers.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2025
Black bear caught on camera attacking trapped deer in rare footage
The discovery suggests that if bears learn to associate traps with easy prey, the risk of encounters with humans could rise.
Deer attacks have surged in Nara Park during the fall rutting season, with male deer being particularly aggressive as they search for mates.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 14, 2024
Authorities warn of spike in deer-related injuries at Nara Park
In September, 35 people were injured by antler attacks — a sevenfold increase from the five cases reported during the same period last year.
Hokkaido cuisine is so much more than milk bread and regional ramen — as this humble yet delicious deer ragu shows.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Oct 20, 2024
Deer ragu straight from Hokkaido’s fields
Adapted from a recipe from chef Chihiro Naito, formerly of L’Effervescence, this dish brings the essence of Hokkaido game to your table.
Under the light of a moon partially obscured by clouds, the eyes of a dozen deer glow uncannily in the dark on South Korea's island of Anma.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2024
Swelling deer herd overwhelms South Korean islanders
The government is weighing a petition to designate the deer as "harmful wildlife" to clear the way for hunting and other measures.
Increasingly denuded areas can be seen on the slopes of Mount Ibuki in Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, on April 10.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
May 13, 2024
Deer cause damage to Mount Ibuki, known for its rare alpine flowers
As the amount of snowfall has decreased, affected by global warming, the number of deer has increased.
Deer that are kept in a fenced-off area in the city of Nara
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2024
Nara Prefecture to expand area for culling iconic deer
The prefectural panel will discuss culling methods and other details to draw up a new protection program in fiscal 2025.
Japanese regulations determine which hunters can handle certain firearms based on the individual's experience and the level of rifling in a long gun's barrel.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 3, 2024
Hokkaido hunters say more firepower means more humane kills
A revision to Japan’s firearms laws would mean new hunters would be temporarily limited to less potent shotguns.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 29, 2023
Bucking the trend: Nara's famed deer bowed less frequently during pandemic
The wild deer living in and around the park in Nara Prefecture, which total about 1,200 and are protected as a natural treasure, are famous for bowing to tourists for 'deer crackers.'
JAPAN / Society / Beyond Tokyo
Jan 27, 2019
Japan's aging hunters look for fresh blood to solve boar woes
When the world rang in 2019, it also prepared to usher in the Year of the Boar. But in Sasayama, a picturesque, historical city of about 42,000 nestled in rural Hyogo Prefecture about an hour by train from Osaka Station, the wild boar is a symbol of pride, part of a famous local dish and a bane to farmers....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2018
Nara steps up efforts to deal with record numbers of deer and tourists
It's getting ever more crowded in the ancient capital of Nara as record numbers of two-legged visitors encounter record numbers of four-legged residents, creating concerns about the health and safety of both groups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2018
Nara announces record number of deer bites as tourists flood in
Famed wild deer in the city of Nara appear to be growing increasingly frustrated with tourists who make them wait to munch on crackers while trying to frame the perfect photo.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 30, 2017
Don't be fooled, pests are a problem — no matter how cute they appear
I recently went out to my friend John Harris' country home in the Isumi district of Chiba Prefecture, about 100 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. His house is midway down the Pacific coast of the Boso Peninsula, close to the small town of Onjuku, which is known for its surfing and its (formerly) bare-breasted...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 23, 2016
Uninvited pair of animal invaders leave island in a tizzy
When a boar and a deer show up offering diversity and hope to repair our ecosystem, we should be honored that they'd even consider taking up residence here.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 30, 2016
Hailing the benefits of raising a stink
In the 1980s, when I was living in northern Nagano Prefecture and hiking the mountains with members of the local Hunters Association, I was always making a lot of fuss about the depredation of ancient forests being instigated by the Forestry Agency — a branch of the national government that, at the...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 31, 2015
Deer and boar: from pests to the plate
For many years now I have been hammering on about Japan's runaway population of deer and wild boar, and about the huge damage they cause — especially to agriculture, silviculture, forestry and endangered wild plants in national parks.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 4, 2015
Sausages fire up venison campaign
These days, deer in Japan cause tremendous damage to fields, paddies, pastures, orchards, woodland and even wasabi water gardens. They are also wiping out many rare wild plants. Since the last known Japanese wolf was killed in Nara Prefecture in 1905, deer on these islands have had no natural predators....
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2015
New neighbors, please go away
When I came to live in Kurohime in northern Nagano Prefecture in the late autumn of 1980, I was a bit awed by the amount of snow, which piles up and compacts to a depth of 5 meters in the mountains.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 31, 2015
Call to arms: Hunters dwindle as animal numbers explode
Asians who crossed land bridges into today's Ryukyu Islands more than 30,000 years ago encountered plenty of game. In addition to deer and boar, they hunted elephant and steppe bison until the larger mammals were hunted to extinction in Japan about 17,000 years ago.

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