Deer voyeurs warned to stay clear during mating season

Deer ogling photographers have been warned they are running the animal’s raunchiest time of year aground.

The park assistant manager at London’s Richmond Park has told animal voyeurs – who are keen take pictures of the hoofed mating mammals – to stay clear otherwise they risk seeing a decline in their population, as their attentions are putting the animals off mating.

Adam Curtis told The Times newspaper: ”I have seen 60 photographers circling a stag trying to mate. That would even put me off”.

Park wardens are concerned flashes from cameras will exhaust the male stags – who usually fight off other males to attract female deer – as the females are running off afraid of the crowds.

He added: ”They end up not being able to mate during the day, and have to it at night instead. We are not seeing a reduction in birth numbers yet, but it’s especially stressful for stags losing their harem when crowds scatter them, and being forced to run around to get them all back into the fold.”

The other fear is that stags are able to kill dogs and humans who get too close and kill the moment for the sexually active antlered-cattle.

British Deer Society vet Peter Green explained: ”Because the the deer are wild, they are not used to close human attention and there is no doubt that the presence of crowds in rings around the rutting deer puts them off mating with the hinds, which is supposed to be the reward for winning the contests with lesser stags.”