Animal lovers have condemned the decision to shoot dead a stag after it injured a man having a picnic while 'looking for food'.
The animal approached the man's group in London's Richmond Park at around 6pm on Saturday afternoon.
The man, in his 60s, was taken to hospital with chest injuries described as 'not life-threatening' after emergency services were called to the scene.
The Royal Parks said the stag's 'behaviour' meant it had to be 'put down' after it was 'deemed to be a danger to visitors'.
The incident came after visitors were warned against approaching the park's resident wild deer and feeding them due to a 'real risk of serious injury'.
Dozens of people have now come to the stag's defence, arguing an animal should never be put down because humans cannot follow simple rules.
'That was wrong. The stag learned to do that because of people feeding it. Not the animal's fault,' one wrote on social media.
'Sad but I think inevitable,' another said. 'We walked the whole way around Richmond Park yesterday and saw several family groups - including kids no older than three or four - walking right up to the deer and offering them food so as to get a photo.'
'Humans can't help themselves and feed wild deer despite being told not to,' a third added. 'Humans destroy everything.'
The stag is believed to have come close to the picnic after it learnt to 'associate visitors with food'.
It is understood the picnic was held yards away from the popular Roehampton Gate Cafe, a hotspot for visitors.
A spokesperson for The Royal Parks said: 'We can confirm that on Saturday evening, an incident occurred in Richmond Park which resulted in a man being injured by a stag, after the stag approached his picnic group looking for food.
'We understand from the police that thankfully the injuries were not life-threatening.
'Sadly, the stag's behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors.'
The Royal Parks warned visitors the animals are wild and 'should never be fed, approached or touched'.
'Repeated feeding can cause deer to lose their natural wariness of people and seek out food from visitors, creating risks for both people and wildlife and we suspect that this particular stag may have learnt to associate visitors with food,' they added.
'If visitors follow our advice and do not feed or interfere with the deer, it is highly unlikely that they will exhibit this type of behaviour.'
Guidance from The Royal Parks is to stay 50 metres away from the deer. If a deer, however, approaches a person, food and packaging should be put out of sight while people should slowly back away from the animal.
In August, the charity expressed its 'shock' at footage showing children and adults feeding the animals.
In August, the charity expressed its 'shock' at footage showing children and adults feeding the animals
One man even stretches out a little boy's hand in footage from July so he can pet an animal on its head
In a video uploaded to social media in July, Amanda Boardman, a regular visitor to the park, said she had 'never seen it this bad'.
In the clip, parents appear to be encouraging their children to get closer to the deer.
One man even stretches out a little boy's hand so he can pet an animal on its head.
Elsewhere, a girl feeds the deer while a woman stands nearby, filming the spectacle on her mobile phone.
Moment park visitors risk lives by feeding deer as authorities warn they are wild animals, not pets
Ms Boardman said: 'Several people rode Forest bikes through the protected skylark nesting area, herding the deer, while others were feeding them.
'I also witnessed adults thrusting their tiny children towards a group of young bucks with antlers. It was incredibly dangerous.
'Summer brings huge pressure on the park, with many visitors unaware of the rules. Habituating deer to people puts both the animals and the public at risk.'
The Royal Parks described the behaviour as 'highly dangerous' and added visitors are put at a 'real risk of serious injury' by feeding the animals.
Warning signs at Richmond Park advise visitors against approaching deer at any time, especially during the mating season, which mostly happens in autumn and winter.
The Royal Parks urged anyone who witnesses anyone touching the city's deer to report it to the police.
Richmond Park covers 2,500 acres and is one of London's eight Royal Parks – home to ancient trees, herds of deer and the Isabella Plantation.
A photo from a previous incident shows a man dashing away from a set of stag's antlers in Richmond Park, south west London
Another image from the same day shows three young children, accompanied by an adult, standing very close to one of the animals
In 2025, the Met Police announced it was disbanding the Royal Parks Police as part of cuts due to a £260million hole in its budget.
The leader of Richmond Council, Gareth Roberts, said at the time: 'The Royal Parks Police provide a vital service, ensuring our parks remain safe and well-managed.
'Their work includes enforcing park regulations and responding to incidents quickly and effectively. Losing this specialist team places an additional burden on already overstretched local policing resources and risks leaving our parks unprotected.
'Our parks are essential for residents' health and wellbeing. They must remain safe, and we will continue to push for the resources needed to protect them.'