A 23-year-old man from Mie Prefecture has been arrested after killing a deer with an axe at a park in Nara City.
According to NHK, police received a report about a wounded deer before dawn.
The deer was unable to move due to its injuries.
According to Kyodo News, the police soon arrested a 23-year-old man, Yoshii Hayato.
SoraNews reported that Hayato confessed to the crime.
He had apparently been playing with the deer, when it suddenly hit his car.
Angered, the man took out an axe and slashed the deer's head "as hard" as he could.
The incident has caused consternation due to the symbolic importance of the deer in Nara.
They are officially recognised as a natural treasure by the government, and are protected under the "Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties".
Image from Getty