Posted on Thursday 6th March 2025
Deer photographed at Cannock Chase Country Park by John Kraujalis.
Rangers at Cannock Chase and Chasewater Country Park are urging visitors to stop feeding the deer, warning that this seemingly kind gesture can actually be a recipe for disaster.
Staffordshire County Council’s countryside officers have been receiving a rising number of complaints about people feeding deer both from their cars and in the housing estates around country parks.
As a result, rangers have been increasingly called to incidents in residential areas where deer have become stuck in fences and football nets.
When deer associate cars with food, this creates a risk of them losing their natural fear of the noise and light emitted from vehicles, making them more likely to cross high-speed roads.
Rangers were called to more than 164 deer collisions on Cannock Chase alone last year.
Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, said:
“Feeding deer may feel like an act of kindness, but it can make them dangerously reliant on humans for food and more vulnerable to poachers.
“With more people feeding deer from their hands and from their vehicles, we’ve seen more deer approach humans and busy roads, putting them at risk of collisions with vehicles. It also disrupts their natural digestion, leading to severe illness, dehydration, and even death.
“Please help us keep these beautiful animals safe by not feeding or approaching them and keeping dogs well away. Our countryside provides all the natural food they need to thrive.”
With it being spring, visitors may also spot baby deer huddled in the grass. If you do, resist the urge to touch or move them - a fawn’s mother will often abandon her baby if it carries a human scent.
If you hit a deer or see one injured on the roadside, please call Staffordshire Police on 999. For deceased deer on the roadside verge, call 101, and a deer warden will be notified.
Let’s keep Staffordshire's deer wild and safe by giving them space, not snacks.