Baby deer put at risk by selfies in royal park

THE so-called “Instagram generation” are putting the lives of baby deer at risk by picking them up for photos, the head of one of London’s royal parks has warned.

Adam Curtis, the manager of Richmond Park, said people “ran the risk of mothers abandoning” the young deer and called on people to stay away from them.

It comes amid recent warnings at the park – known for its large population of red and fallow deer – that people inundating the photo-sharing site with animal selfies must give the deer space.

Some photos show members of the public feeding the animals, and parents endangering their own children by trying to put them on the backs of the deer. This month is birthing season for fawns. Numbers are expected to reach up to 300.

The charity Royal Parks has pleaded with visitors to give the animals more room, and advised dog walkers to keep their pets on leads so as not to spook the deer.

Mr Curtis told the Evening Standard it was “wonderful” that nature programmes were leading to greater visitor numbers, but warned: “Occasionally, people do find a baby deer to pick up. If you do that, you seriously run the risk of the mother abandoning it and it perishing.

“If you see a baby deer, walk away from it. They have not been abandoned.”

Mr Curtis said social media was likely to have led to a fourfold increase in the number of visitors.