Some of the free-roaming deer in the city of Nara in Nara prefecture in Japan have reportedly been losing weight and becoming visibly skinnier, SoraNews24 reported.

These deer, that live in the Nara Park, are feeling the effects of the lack of tourists and the drop in senbei rice crackers that are offered to them by guests who pay them a visit.

Have to eat grass

As tourists have vanished due to travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, those deer dependent on senbei rice crackers have not been getting their daily fix.

Some deer are thought to have replaced senbei rice crackers for grass over the years, so going back to munching on greens has not been sufficient to meet dietary wants.

Millions of crackers eaten annually

A breakdown of the number of senbei rice crackers eaten by the deer reveals a figure that is quite staggering.

Roughly 13 million tourists visit Nara Park each year.

Some 20 million rice crackers are sold annually at 200 yen per packet.

Around 900 deer live in the park, excluding the 400 that are housed in the “Rokuen” deer shelter.

Doing a bit of quick math, each deer can eat more than 60 rice crackers per day.

Each senbei rice cracker weighs about 3g to 4g and is supposed to be a snack for the deer.

Deer eat about 5kg of grass per day, with the rice crackers as supplement.

But the deer prefer to eat rice crackers as a staple food, due to their higher nutritional value compared to grass.

Some deer become addicted to the senbei rice crackers as a result, and going back to chewing on grass becomes an unattractive option.

It was discovered that some deer ate more than 200 rice crackers a day.

Signs of cracker dependency

Deer that have lost weight and are roaming further away from the park is a sign that they are dependent on the rice cracker as they go off seeking that food.

The number of deer staying inside the nature-filled Nara Park has been decreasing by 20 per cent during the day and night.

Before the drop in tourists in January 2020, 71.9 per cent of the deer population was recorded in the park during the day.

In June, the figure fell to 50.2 per cent.

At night, 56.5 per cent of deer remained in the park in January and 34.9 percent in June.

But the good news is that the number of deer sitting on the grass during the day has increased from 19.3 to 59.1 per cent.

Deer digest nutrients through a system called "rumination", similar to cows.

The more time spent on grass is a healthy sign as the deer are not eating processed food such as rice crackers.

But deer also exhibit strange behaviour, such as gathering en masse for nothing.

Deer still doing okay

However, the situation might not be as dire as painted by the media.

Some deer are not even eating senbei rice crackers offered to them:

この前行きましたが、写真ほどガリガリな鹿さんとは出会わなかったので、全員が全員痩せ細ってしまったと勘違いされぬようお願いします(´・ω・｀) pic.twitter.com/iWuc1DQxyW

— おふぃしゃるくー (@ku_official_ku) September 24, 2020

While others are looking like how they used to pre-pandemic:

あの。僕の声付きですが、鹿せんべい飽きてるやついました。
シルバーウィークです。 pic.twitter.com/77E6sg8D9R

— こう (@0koook0) September 24, 2020

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