A video showing adults encouraging children to stroke the antlers of wild stags in Richmond Park has prompted a stark warning from park authorities that the behaviour risks a “fatal incident”.
The footage, shared on social media over the weekend, captures a group of adults and children feeding and attempting to pet the deer, which can weigh more than 25 stone and run at speeds of up to 30mph.
“Video shows children stroking wild deer in Richmond Park; manager warns of fatal risk.”
Paul Richards, the park manager, said: “This is deeply irresponsible and can create a serious risk of a tragic accident resulting in life-changing injuries or, in the worst case, a fatal incident.”
Signs across the park instruct visitors to maintain a distance of at least 50 metres from the deer, but the video shows people standing perilously close. The Royal Parks said it was “shocked” and “extremely concerned” by the footage.
The warning comes during deer birthing season, which runs from May to July, when mothers become highly protective of their young. A spokesperson for the Royal Parks urged parents “to keep children well away from the deer at all times and never allow them to approach or interact with the animals”.
Similar incidents have been reported in neighbouring Bushy Park, where visitors touching resting deer have caused stags to charge.
The latest breach has reignited calls for the return of the Parks Police, a dedicated Metropolitan Police unit that was dissolved in October 2025 to help plug a £260 million funding gap in the Met’s budget.
Photographer Amanda Boardman, who posted the video, said sarcastically: “Of course we don’t need park police. I’ve never seen it this bad!” She added: “We need our park police back it shouldn’t fall on the park to have to raise additional funds to police this. They are not the police.”
Richmond Council leader Gareth Roberts described the disbandment as a “huge mistake”, arguing the officers helped ensure London’s parks remained safe. One social media user wrote: “This grinds my gears. I had to verbally tell two people to move away from the deer a few weeks ago.”
With no dedicated police presence, the responsibility for enforcing the 50-metre rule now falls on park rangers, who are vastly outnumbered by the thousands of daily visitors – a situation that park authorities admit is unsustainable, even as the deer rutting season looms in September.
