Last week, nine deer died at a famed park in western Japan after swallowing too much plastic bags.
In Nara Park, tourists are allowed to feed more than 1,000 deer with special sugar-free crackers that are sold in shops nearby. The crackers aren’t sold with plastic bags, but it appears like the visitors carry them.
A veterinarian says the deer may associate the plastic with the food, which is why they may have taken one too many bites of plastic already.
The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation reports nine of the 14 deer that have died since March showed lots of plastic in their stomach. Autopsy reports show masses of tangles plastic litter and packets of snacks in their stomachs.
Veterinarian Rie Maruko told Kyodo News that the dead deer might have suffered a lot and were not able to eat, because the dead deer were so skinny he could already feel their bones protruding from their skins.
According to AP, deer have four-chambered stomachs, so if they fail to digest what they eat, they could die from malnutrition and weakened immune systems.
Related stories:
– Sea turtle that excreted plastic, dead in Negros Occidental
– Seal dies after getting tangled in plastic and fishing gear
– Nara deer dies, 4 kilograms of plastic found in its stomach
