Nine deer at Japanese park die after swallowing plastic bags

Nine deer have died after swallowing plastic bags at a park in western Japan.

Nara Park has more than 1,000 deer, and tourists can feed them special sugar-free crackers sold in nearby shops.

The crackers do not come in plastic bags, but people carry them and a veterinarian said the deer may associate the plastic with food.

The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation says nine of the 14 deer that have died since March had plastic in their stomachs.

Masses of tangled plastic litter and packets of snacks were retrieved from their stomachs, with the heaviest amount weighing 4.3 kilograms.

Rie Maruko, a veterinarian who belongs to the animal conservation group, was quoted by Kyodo News as saying the dead deer were so skinny he could feel their bones.

Deer have four-chambered stomachs, and eating objects that cannot be digested can leave them malnourished and weakened.

Deer are traditionally a messenger of gods in Japan’s native Shinto religion, and they roam freely in the park in the capital city of Nara prefecture.

Volunteers participated in a cleanup campaign in the park on Wednesday.