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Deer suddenly passes then vets find 9 lbs of plastic littered by humans in its stomach
The world's plastic problem is getting severely out of hand.
Jake Manning
10.17.23

In the serene surroundings of Nara Park, Japan, a heartbreaking incident unfolded that left veterinarians and animal lovers in dismay.

A 17-year-old female deer, a creature considered sacred in the Shinto religion, met an untimely and tragic end.

While her age wasn’t particularly shocking for her demise, it was the autopsy results that left everyone aghast: nearly 9 pounds of plastic were discovered inside her stomach, revealing a stark and painful reality of human negligence affecting wildlife.

Nara Park, nestled in the city of Nara and just east of Osaka, is not just a popular tourist spot for its breathtaking vistas but is also renowned for its beautiful deer.

According to SoraNews, the park attracts over two million visitors annually, each one eager to witness the gentle creatures in their natural habitat.

However, the influx of tourists has inadvertently brought about a significant and deadly problem for these innocent beings: plastic pollution.

The sacred deer of Nara Park, revered due to the beliefs of the Shinto religion, have become victims of the very admiration that draws people to them.

The tourists and visitors, while appreciating the deer, are paradoxically contributing to a crisis that is slowly killing them.

Litter, particularly plastic waste, and overfeeding have become rampant issues, even leading to instances where the deer, driven by the availability of food, have bitten the hands that feed them.

The issue of plastic is not just a minor inconvenience but a major, lethal problem for the deer in the park.

SoraNews24 highlighted that since March 2019, eight deer have lost their lives under mysterious circumstances.

Autopsies revealed a chilling fact: six of these deaths were directly linked to excessive plastic consumption, underscoring a crisis that is unfolding in the picturesque settings of Nara Park.

The 17-year-old deer that recently passed away was under the watchful eyes of veterinarians from the Nara Deer Park Association since March 23rd.

They noticed her malnourished state and extreme weakness, and despite their best efforts to nurse her back to health, she was unable to eat and succumbed the following day.

The autopsy not only revealed the shocking amount of plastic inside her but also highlighted her pitiful state, weighing in at just 66 pounds.

Deer, much like cows and steers, cud their food, a process that involves regurgitating and re-chewing their food.

The veterinarians pointed out that the deer met her tragic end because she was unable to perform this vital digestive process due to the plastic inhibiting her ability to regurgitate, digest, and ingest new food.

This growing concern is becoming more prominent and alarming with each passing year.

Authorities have now begun urging tourists and visitors to refrain from carrying snacks or food for the deer in plastic bags.

Signs have been erected throughout the park, instructing visitors to feed the deer only senbei (deer crackers) which are available for purchase around the park.

Despite these warnings, numerous instances have been reported of tourists feeding the deer other unsafe foods from plastic bags, as the deer, with their keen sense of smell, cannot differentiate between food and plastic, often consuming the entire bag.

The issue is further exacerbated by tourists feeding the deer unauthorized food and leaving behind their plastic waste without proper disposal.

Authorities are striving to encourage tourists to be mindful of their surroundings, to clean up after themselves, and to ensure all trash is disposed of properly.

The Nara Traveler’s Guide also seeks to educate visitors by emphasizing that the deer are wild animals, capable of finding their own food, such as plants and grass within the park

In an effort to mitigate the plastic problem, “The Nara Welfare Deer Association has designed special environmentally-friendly food bags for tourists,” as explained by The Epoch Times.

The Association, in a blog post, expressed that these bags can prevent accidental ingestion of plastics by deer and urged, “When taking a walk in Nara Park, please take this eco bag.”

This story is a poignant reminder of the devastating impact of excessive plastic waste and underscores the imperative need for humans to take responsibility and initiative in addressing our environmental impact before it wreaks more havoc on our planet’s innocent creatures.

Click the video below to learn more about this sad situation.

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Article Sources:
YouTube – South China Morning Post
Naradeer.com
The Epoch Times
NARA TRAVERLER’s GUIDE
SORA News
CNN
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By Jake Manning
[email protected]
Jake Manning is a senior writer at Shareably. Jake is a former college baseball player, but after graduating he realized his true passion lies in writing and traveling. Since graduating college, Jake has lived in 8 different cities, spanning 3 different continents. Now that he's settled stateside, he looks forward to coaching his kids' baseball team, writing his own novel, and continuing to share uplifting stories from around the globe.
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