Nara Deer Population at Record High

I have visited Nara a couple of times. There are many things to see and do, including seeing the sacred deer. I posted in March 2024 about the deer I saw on my trip, when there were approximately 1400 deer. The deer are protected as national treasures.

The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation reported that the deer population has now hit a record high of 1,687, with the birth rate rising because deer are being fed food other than the sugar free deer crackers. The group has surveyed the deer numbers every year since 1953. 

The latest survey was conducted by about 40 people over two days. The breakdown was 411 males, 990 females, and 286 fawns. In the year ending in late June, 198 deer died, including 72 fawns, mainly in traffic accidents. The Preservation Foundation asks that visitors drive more slowly in the vast park, saying fawns often dash out as they follow their mothers.