On a gusty spring day, Richmond Park's herd of 300 red deer lie down to avoid being buffeted about by the winds. Approach them slowly and you can get quite a good look. The deer are tolerant of human beings and leashed pets but they are not tame. Though you might get a bit closer to them than deer in the wild, they cannot be touched or fed and, like any deer, will run off if startled. Certain times of year - in June when mothers are hiding their young in the bracken or in September, during the rutting season, it is best not to try to approach them at all.
One of the great pleasures of Richmond Park is the way you can come upon a small herd unexpectedly. I once watched a large group of stags, gathered in a forest so that their antlers looked like branches of trees. On another occasion, all the cars on the Park road came to a halt as what seemed to be the entire herd of 350 fallow deer crossed the road. Some of them actually leapt over the smaller cars.
One of the great pleasures of Richmond Park is the way you can come upon a small herd unexpectedly. I once watched a large group of stags, gathered in a forest so that their antlers looked like branches of trees. On another occasion, all the cars on the Park road came to a halt as what seemed to be the entire herd of 350 fallow deer crossed the road. Some of them actually leapt over the smaller cars.