Jakarta, ThedailyID — Two tourists believed to be Indonesian have drawn criticism after a video showed their interaction with a deer at Nara Park in Japan.
The video circulated on social media after a local resident confronted the pair over a plastic food wrapper. The resident appeared concerned that the deer might swallow the packaging.
A Japanese content creator posted the video on Instagram account @hezumaryuaaa on October 7, 2026. It shows a middle-aged man standing near a deer, while a woman wearing a hijab stands nearby.
In the footage, the deer takes a plastic wrapper from the man’s hand. A local resident then approaches and removes the wrapper to prevent the animal from swallowing it.
The two tourists appear to apologize after the resident reprimands them. The incident soon attracted attention and criticism online.
On October 8, someone believed to be the woman in the video posted a clarification on Threads under the account @gazelle.4843178.
She explained that the man in the footage was her father. She also denied that they had intended to feed plastic to the deer.
According to her explanation, her father had carried nuts in a package and fed them to the animal. After the nuts ran out, the deer continued following him and began pulling at and licking the inside of the wrapper.
She acknowledged that they should have removed the packaging from the deer sooner. She also apologized and said they had not fully understood the rules about feeding deer at Nara Park.
Nara Park, located in Japan’s Nara Prefecture, is a popular tourist destination known for its free-roaming deer. Visitors can interact with the animals and feed them special crackers called shika senbei, which vendors sell around the park.
However, visitors should not offer deer arbitrary food or allow them to swallow food packaging. Wrappers can pose a risk when deer try to take food directly from people.
Tourists should also secure their belongings and follow the park’s instructions. If a deer takes an unsuitable object, visitors should seek help from park staff.
