The Royal Parks said the animal had to be put down after a man in his 60s was taken to hospital, following months of warnings about visitors feeding the park’s wild deer
A stag has been destroyed in Richmond Park after injuring a man who was picnicking with a group in the south-west London park. The Royal Parks said the animal approached the group on Saturday afternoon looking for food, leaving a man in his 60s with chest injuries. Emergency services were called at around 6pm and he was taken to hospital, where his injuries were described as not life-threatening. The charity said the stag was put down after being judged a danger to visitors.
What the charity said
A spokesperson for The Royal Parks confirmed the sequence of events. “We can confirm that on Saturday evening, an incident occurred in Richmond Park which resulted in a man being injured by a stag, after the stag approached his picnic group looking for food,” they said, adding that police had indicated the injuries were not life-threatening.
“Sadly, the stag’s behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors.”
The picnic is understood to have taken place a short distance from the Roehampton Gate Cafe, one of the park’s busier spots.
Why the animal approached
The charity believes the stag had come to associate people with food. “Repeated feeding can cause deer to lose their natural wariness of people and seek out food from visitors, creating risks for both people and wildlife and we suspect that this particular stag may have learnt to associate visitors with food,” the spokesperson said.
They stressed that the deer are wild animals and “should never be fed, approached or touched”, adding that if visitors follow the guidance, such behaviour is highly unlikely.
Royal Parks advice is to remain 50 metres from the animals. Anyone approached by a deer is told to put food and packaging out of sight and back away slowly. Warning signs across Richmond Park urge visitors not to approach the herds at any time, and particularly during the autumn and winter rutting season.
Months of warnings
The incident follows repeated concerns about visitor behaviour in both Richmond Park and Bushy Park over the summer, where people were filmed approaching, stroking and feeding the deer despite the guidance. In August, the charity said it was shocked by footage of children and adults feeding the animals, describing such behaviour as highly dangerous and warning of a real risk of serious injury.
Amanda Boardman, a regular visitor who posted a video in July, said she had never seen the situation so bad. The clip appears to show parents encouraging children closer to the deer, with one man extending a small boy’s hand to pet an animal on the head, and a girl feeding a deer while a woman films on a mobile phone.
“Several people rode Forest bikes through the protected skylark nesting area, herding the deer, while others were feeding them,” Ms Boardman said. “I also witnessed adults thrusting their tiny children towards a group of young bucks with antlers. It was incredibly dangerous.”
She added: “Summer brings huge pressure on the park, with many visitors unaware of the rules. Habituating deer to people puts both the animals and the public at risk.”
The Royal Parks has urged anyone who sees people touching the deer to report it to police.
Pressure on park policing
Richmond Park covers 2,500 acres and is one of London’s eight Royal Parks, home to ancient trees, deer herds and the Isabella Plantation.
In 2025 the Metropolitan Police announced it was disbanding the Royal Parks Police as part of cuts prompted by a £260 million shortfall in its budget. Gareth Roberts, leader of Richmond Council, said at the time that the unit provided a vital service.
“Their work includes enforcing park regulations and responding to incidents quickly and effectively,” he said. “Losing this specialist team places an additional burden on already overstretched local policing resources and risks leaving our parks unprotected. Our parks are essential for residents’ health and wellbeing. They must remain safe, and we will continue to push for the resources needed to protect them.”
