The Royal Parks is outraged at videos of visitors continuing to feed deer circulate online as a man is injured in Richmond Park this past weekend.

In a statement the charity that takes care of eight London parks, including Richmond and Bushy parks, said it was "shocked and alarmed" by visitors getting close and feeding deer despite warnings.

"We are shocked and alarmed to see that more videos and photographs are circulating online of park visitors feeding and approaching deer in Bushy Park, just days after we warned of the dangers of getting too close to the deer, and after a man in Richmond Park was injured by a stag this weekend," said a Royal Parks spokesperson.

The charity said that feeding the wild animals can cause them to lose their natural wariness of people and raise the risk of serious injury.

"This weekend, an incident occurred in Richmond Park which resulted in a man being injured by a stag, after the stag approached his picnic group looking for food," added the spokesperson.

They continued: "We understand from the police that thankfully the injuries were not life-threatening.

"Sadly, the stag's behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors.

"We suspect that this particular stag may have learnt to associate visitors with food. If visitors follow our advice and do not feed or interfere with the deer, it is highly unlikely that they will exhibit this type of behaviour.

advertisement

"Our advice is simple. Keep at least 50 metres away, never feed or touch the deer, and if one comes towards you, put all food and packaging out of sight and move away slowly and calmly. Do not try to move the deer away yourself.

"Between them, Richmond Park and Bushy Park cover 3,600 acres. Our staff and volunteers do a great job of speaking to visitors, and we have signage across the parks, but we cannot be everywhere at once.

"We need everyone who visits to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to keep themselves, other visitors and the deer safe.

"If you witness someone putting themselves, others or the deer at risk, please do not try and intervene but report it immediately to the police."

Only a week earlier, footage of a shirtless man feeding a stag then pushing it away with a stick in Richmond Park was shared on social media.