Local councillors have urged visitors to Richmond and Bushy Parks to respect the wild nature of the parks' deer, following the shooting of a stag after an attack on a park visitor.

Liberal Democrat Councillors met with Richmond Park Manager Paul Richards to discuss the incident and the wider concerns around deer behaviour and visitor safety.

Park representatives explained that repeated incidents of visitors feeding deer may have contributed to some animals becoming increasingly socialised and associating people with food.

This can lead to unpredictable behaviour and potentially put both visitors and the deer at risk.

The message from the meeting was that there is plentiful natural food available for the deer across Richmond and Bushy Parks, and there is no need for visitors to feed them.

Signs throughout the Royal Parks warn visitors not to approach the deer and advise keeping a distance of at least 50 metres.

Leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Gareth Roberts, said: "Most local residents know how to behave in the parks, particularly when it comes to the deer.

"But visitors need to understand that our local deer parks aren't petting zoos. The dear are large, wild animals which can behave dangerously.

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"Of course we want people to visit Richmond and enjoy our Royal Parks but they need to understand that if they feed or pet the deer, not only are they putting themselves in harm's way, they're risking the safety of other park users as the deer begin to change their behaviour".

East Sheen Cllr Julia Cambridge added: "The volunteer park rangers are doing a critical job engaging with visitors and reminding them to keep a safe distance from the deer.

"However, we remain concerned about the loss of the dedicated Parks Police, something we campaigned against.

"The MET'S Safer Neighbourhood Teams do have a presence in the park and are patrolling and keeping order, but this is no substitute for the specialist Parks Police team that was disbanded in 2025.

"Given the increasing concerns about visitor safety and deer behaviour, we believe it is time for the specialist Parks Police to be reinstated."

The Lib Dem Councillors said that while the vast majority of visitors behave responsibly, the message about not feeding or approaching deer needs to be reinforced, particularly among visitors who may be unfamiliar with the behaviour of wild deer.

They also stressed the importance of maintaining a visible presence in the parks, with volunteer park rangers and policing teams playing an important role in keeping visitors informed and helping to prevent incidents.