A wildlife expert has warned that feeding the deers at Phoenix Park could bring "enormous risks".
Giving food to wild animals could lead to begging behaviour that could result in animals becoming aggressive, researchers from University College Dublin revealed. The study also found that fawns from mothers who consistently begged for food were significantly heavier than those whose mothers didn't.
Experts observed the deer from the start of May to the end of June in 2018 and 2019 which is when males are regrowing antlers and females are nursing offspring. A total of 134 fawns from the same herd were measured and they all came from mothers who had the same opportunity to interact with people.
Read more: 10 unusual facts about Dublin's Phoenix Park
This begging behaviour trait was associated with animals with bolder personality types by researchers. Lead author Laura Griffing said that feeding wild animals could cause some animals to become aggressive while begging for food.
She added: "There is a high risk of this herd becoming highly habituated over time due to the artificial selection that we have highlighted here. In other words, in 10 years, if actions are not taken, you could end up with deer that consistently harass people, as the boldest individuals have been selected for, which clearly holds enormous risks for the people and animals involved.
"It also stands to reason that if this is occurring in this population, then it is very likely also the case across other populations and species as well." Researchers found that the deer population in Phoenix Park fell into three categories: consistent beggars, occasional beggars, and rare beggars, with about 24 per cent of the population consistently begging for food.
Phoenix Park hosts around 10 million visitors a year. Feeding deer at the park is strictly prohibited.
Read next:
Rise in Phoenix Park visitors creating 'disturbance' for deer
DSPCA issue seagulls warning amid 'high volume' of emergency calls
Adorable newborn kitten recovering after being found in Dublin garden
Adorable kitten stuck under car rescued after paw-ful 120km journey
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
