The charity that maintains Richmond and Bushy parks in west London is looking for "friendly and chatty people" to volunteer as park rangers.
The Royal Parks is looking to recruit up to 70 volunteers to help educate thousands of tourists and visitors to the large parks, in which deer live.
Tasks would include warning people to maintain a minimum distance of 50 metres from the deer that roam both parks.
This is especially important during mating season, known as the rut, which runs from September to November and involves male deer clashing antlers to fight off rivals and attract "as many females as possible to mate with", Royal Parks said.
Together the parks are home to more than 1,000 free roaming red and fallow deer.
Since the service started in 2019, volunteer rangers at Richmond and Bushy Parks have spoken to more than 110,000 people on a several topics including ancient trees, walking routes and The Royal Parks’ efforts to protect skylarks.
Volunteers will need to commit to a minimum of four hours per month, the charity said.
It's keen to hear from "friendly and chatty people who are passionate about the parks and want to inspire and educate visitors."
Volunteer Officer for The Royal Parks, Jo Meays, said: “The Volunteer Rangers provide a welcoming service to the millions of visitors who enjoy Richmond and Bushy Parks each year.
"These unique spaces have been designated by Natural England as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and part of the remit of the volunteer rangers is to inform visitors on how we can all help nature thrive in these spaces. "Becoming a volunteer ranger is a great way to be out in nature, to make friends and to learn more about the heritage and wildlife of these two parks."
Rangers have a choice of two-hour volunteering sessions across weekdays and weekends that suit their schedule.
A volunteer ranger at Richmond Park, Denise Parker, said: "I’ve learned so much more about nature and wildlife, met lovely people and made new friends too. It’s really rewarding sharing this with visitors and supporting conservation in this very special place."
The blueprint for The Royal Parks’ volunteer ranger service was developed in Bushy and Richmond Parks in 2019, and its success meant the service expanded to Greenwich and Regent’s parks.
There are more than 260 volunteer rangers serving the charity across these four parks.
Applications are now open and close on December 31. Full training will be given.
