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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Aakanksha Surve

REVEALED: Fears feeding phoenix park deer could make them bigger and more aggressive - The Real Truth

A wildlife expert has warned that feeding the deers at Phoenix Park could bring "enormous risks".

Giving food to wild animals could lead to begging behaviour that could result in animals becoming aggressive, researchers from University College Dublin revealed. The study also found that fawns from mothers who consistently begged for food were significantly heavier than those whose mothers didn't.

Experts observed the deer from the start of May to the end of June in 2018 and 2019 which is when males are regrowing antlers and females are nursing offspring. A total of 134 fawns from the same herd were measured and they all came from mothers who had the same opportunity to interact with people.

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