In Nara Park the number of tourists who were bitten by a deer and got injured was the highest so far

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

シカにかまれてけがの観光客が過去最多 奈良公園

2月8日 4時14分

奈良公園で、観光客がシカにかまれるなどしてけがをしたという通報が、今年度すでに１６０件を超えて過去最多になっていることがわかりました。外国人観光客が、シカにせんべいを与える際にかまれるケースが目立ち、奈良県は、外国語で注意を促すポスターを貼るなど対策をとることにしています。

奈良県などのまとめによりますと、奈良公園を訪れた観光客がシカにかまれたり突き飛ばされたりしてけがをしたという通報は、今年度、先月末時点で、すでに１６４件に上っていて、前の年度より４６件増えて過去最多になっています。

けがをした人の７９％は外国人で、このうち中国人が８３％と最も多くなっています。けがは、いずれも軽傷ですが、観光客がシカに好物のせんべいを与える際、写真を撮ろうとじらしたり、時間をかけて食べさせたりして怒らせるケースが目立っているということです。

奈良県を訪れる外国人観光客は急増していて、県は、シカと接する際の注意点をわかりやすくまとめたスマートフォンで見られる動画を配信しているほか、今後奈良公園でせんべいを売る出店に、外国語で注意を促すポスターを貼るなど対策をとることにしています。

My   translation

In Nara Park, the number of tourists who had been bitten by a deer and got injured was known; this year already there were over 160 cases and became the highest on record. The cases that stood out were about foreigner tourists being bitten when giving rice crackers to a deer, and in Nara prefecture measures such as putting up posters in foreign language to draw attention were taken.

According to a summary on Nara prefecture, the reports about tourists who visited Nara Park and got bitten by a deer, or knocked down and got injured in this fiscal year had already reached 164 cases as at late last month, and it was an increase of 46 cases compared with the previous fiscal year and was the highest on record.

Among the injured people 79% were foreigners, and among them 83% were Chinese and they were in the majority. Regarding the injury, all were slight ones. It was said that the cases that stood out were the tourists, in order to lure the deer into a photo, tried to feed them with rice crackers which was the latter’s favorite, but because they kept them waiting for a quite a time before doing the feeding they had angered the deer.

Foreigner tourists who visited Nara prefecture were increasing rapidly. For the prefecture, in addition to delivering a collection of easily understood animation which could be watched from the smart phone to show the aspects where attention were need when touching the deer, from now the Nara Park would take measures so that posters in foreign language aiming at  drawing attention would be put up at stores which rice crackers were sold.

  So,  in order to avoid injury, Chinese tourists should be more careful when feeding the deer in Nara Park.