D’OH! OUR DEER... OUR FEBRILE DEER
VISITORS to Dublin’s Phoenix Park are overfeeding the deer and risk making some of the animals more aggressive in order to obtain food.
That is the warning newly issued in a study following research at University College Dublin (UCD).
The researchers found that fawns are much heavier if their mothers take food from visitors, compared to the fawns of mothers who rarely approach visitors.
A fear has now been outlined that begging behaviour in animals with bolder personalities could potentially lead them to be more aggressive so that they can get food.
Animal experts say the result could be artificial promotion of “harassiour” ment behaviour” in deer who are fed by visitors and could also cause life-threatening issues when giving birth.
UCD researcher Laura Griffin: “In terms of weight gain, there are concerns for the animals in the future.
“The deer in the park give birth naturally. They go off on their own into covered areas and they give birth.
“If there is a point where the fawns are getting larger because more and more people are feeding them, you might see issues with natural births in the future.
“The mother and the fawn could die as a result.”
Laura added: “The offspring could certainly learn it from their mothers.
“There’s also some evidence that there’s a genetic element to it.
Bolder
“If [the fawn’s] mother is one of these bolder individuals, there’s a possibility that you’ll inherit that boldness and that will mean that you engage in these behaviours as well.”
The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) warns that large, testosteronefuelled stags can be very dangerous during mating season.
A spokesperson
“Leave them alone.” said: