Stay away from rutting deer, Royal Parks urges visitors

Visitors to the Royal Parks in London have been warned to stay away from rutting deer this autumn.

Stags in Bushy and Richmond Parks will roar and clash antlers in a bid to attract females to mate with, the Royal Parks charity said.

The males will be experiencing high levels of testosterone and will try to dominate their rivals so can be dangerous to be near.

The charity said people should stay at least 100m away if they appear active.

Park visitors should also maintain a distance of 50m from the stags regardless, it added, as male deer sometimes weigh more than 25 stone with the ability to run at 30mph.

There have been incidents where members of the public have been injured by rutting deer.

In 2018, a young girl who was being photographed next to a stag was hurt in Bushy Park, and the previous year a visitor needed hospital treatment after being gored in Richmond Park.

In the lead up to the rut, there are a number of physiological changes to male deer including an increase of testosterone, the doubling of neck thickness, the larynx becoming more prominent and the tongue changing shape.

Stags start off by bellowing their loudest in an attempt to warn off rivals. If two roars are evenly matched and neither deer retreats, the animals parallel walk to assess the size and condition of their opponent.

Unless one backs down, they will lock antlers and engage in a shoving match to settle the dispute.

Stags will thrash about in the vegetation to make themselves look larger.

They will also urinate and roll into muddy areas called wallows.

During the rut, one stag may mate with up to 40 hinds (female red deer). The biggest stags will hold harems in the middle of the rut, while smaller stags will lie in wait to try to mate with the hinds when the dominant animal is distracted in battle or exhausted following a fight.

Bill Swan, Bushy Park's assistant park manager, said: "Although this all sounds incredibly exciting and a sight to behold, visitors need to be extremely vigilant, otherwise they could risk severe injury.

"It's important to understand that deer may seem relaxed and subdued one minute, and then the next start suddenly chasing and fighting each other.

"Please don't risk your safety by getting in the middle of the action. Bring binoculars if you want a closer look."

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