Japan's Deer Problem
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 มี.ค. 2023
- In Japan, the shika deer are revered and worshipped... but also culled in huge numbers (half a million in 2020).
Special thanks to Shika Shika Kitchen Car in Osaka / shikashika2525
Correction: Ayaka Hata and Shigeki Hirata are researchers from National Agriculture and Food Research Organization. (Not from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)
Sources
- Estimation of Japanese deer population minus Hokkaido www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/hogo/h...
- Estimate of Hokkaido deer population www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/fs/7/...
- SENJOGAHARA The Hike in the Heart of a Protected Marsh
www.kanpai-japan.com/nikko/se...
- Countermeasures against Deer in Senjogahara www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/p...
- One of Japan's leading marshlands in Oku-Nikko www.nikko-kankou.org/spot/10/
- Forest damage caused by deer www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/hogo/h...
- Crop damage caused by deer www.maff.go.jp/j/seisan/tyozy...
- Rebellion of the Wild www.nippon.com/en/features/c0...
- Age of hunters in Japan www.env.go.jp/nature/choju/do...
- Number of hunters in Japan www.env.go.jp/nature/choju/do...
- Land abandonment and changes in snow cover period accelerate range expansions of sika deer onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/f...
- Livestock Production Hokkaido University ocw.hokudai.ac.jp/wp-content/...
- Deer problem growing fast www.japantimes.co.jp/life/200...
- Damage caused by deer www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/hogo/h...
- Deer traps www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/hogo/h...
- Number of culled animals that are processed into game meat www.maff.go.jp/j/nousin/gibie...
- Clipart images from www.irasutoya.com/
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I live and work in the heart of deer country in the mountains of central Japan. I hunt deer and also help out with a government sponsored culling program. On average I put about 15 to 20 deer worth of venison in the freezer every year. Since starting to hunt here in Japan about 6 years ago I don't think I've purchased red meat at the super market more than 2 or 3 times. Needless to say, I eat a lot of venison. I also give away lots and lots of it to friends.
There are no licensed processing plants nearby so commercial use of the meat is impossible. This past year we did start to supply a local startup with culled venison that they use to make dog treats and it is growing, but is still only a drop in the bucket. The culling operation I help with is focused on a prefectural park area that is not open to general hunting. It is a bit over 3,000 acres in size and each year we cull close to 200 deer! Of those, perhaps 20 go to the dog food guy. I personally harvest meat from another 10 or 15. Sadly the rest are all disposed of. I come with a somewhat American hunter's perspective of not wanting any wildlife to go to waste so it's hard to watch. At the same time, the infrastructure for utilizing more of the meat simply doesn't exist here. Thanks for the balanced coverage of our problem.
Thanks for the comment! Really good to hear first hand experience.
It's great that at least some of the culled deer are being put to use to make dog treats. I met a pet store owner in Osaka a few years ago that was selling antlers from culled deer as dog chews.
Wow, what a great story, props to you for the work you do and especially helping to put the culled meat to good use.
(I’m curious, I assume you use a gun to hunt the deer: How does it work with owning and using a gun there? What are the bureaucratic hurdles you have to pass? I don’t know much on the topic, but my understanding is that Japan has bery restrictive gun ownership regulations. What’s it like dealing with them?)
How accessible is hunting to a typical Japanese citizen in terms of cost and weapon regulations?
Does Japan ask American hunters for help?
This is not an uncommon story - where the apex predator no longer exists, and a herbivorous animal decimates plantlife as a result. Its good that this video (among others) is helping to bring awareness of the issue.
In Australia, there is a similar issue with the Kangaroo - and similarly, there have always been efforts to reduce 'waste' from the resulting culls - whether by selling kangaroo meat (often used as pet food, but also for human consumption), or use of its hide (it turns out kangaroo leather is incredibly durable).
So, it is truly unfortunate when "animal lovers" campaign to ban kangaroo products (as has happened in some US states), because they don't want cute animals to be culled - without any appreciation for the fact that the culling must take place to preserve the sustainability of the broader ecosystem.
Stop worrying about the animal lovers. They're not the problem. The problem is the people who killed off the apex predators and now the people who refuse venison in favour of beef, pork, and chicken. If meat lovers gave a crap about the broader ecosystem, they'd adjust their eating.
Out here in India, we have a street dog problem and it's hella bad, not even for killing them off but these same guys even protest against their euthanasia...
Same with wild boars ruining crops, hunting ain't permitted to them, deer ain't much a problem but it too is state protected on serious charges...
@@aelardiz Yea the street dog problem is bad. My cousin recently got bit and when they complained and got the animal control people to show up. A few animal lover activists in the society got together and stopped them. They also threatened my cousin, that same dog has also bit around 3 other people
@@jeremycoelho1833 I care about preventing animal cruelty and over-hunting, but those "animal lovers" go too far. And not really looking rationally at what is best for the animals themself, they let their emotions rule. Compassion is great, but even compassion can be misguided, as can any emotion. Id rather be killed quickly by a shot than slowly starve to death if those were the options...
The idea of culling humans came to your mind ...They are everywhere ....
They are the problem .They are responsible for unbalanced .
So
We have a similar problem here in Colorado Springs with deer wandering through town. For the most part the deer have learned to stay out of major roadways, but there are a few deer strikes in town. However, it's not only deer, but also bears and mountain lions, but all of them are outnumbered by Canadian Geese that block traffic near ponds crossing or standing in the road. The goose problem got so bad in one area the property owner drained the pond and the geese moved on.
This was really enjoyable and informative. Thank you for creating it
I went into making this video knowing that Japan had an overpopulation of deer and had come across the idea (in several places) that eating more deer could be a more humane way of controlling the population. I learned that doing that is easier said than done and that it could never be a 100% solution. I'm guessing that hunters and environmentalists probably already knew this. What do you think about the whole deer problem?
One or two states in Brazil has a problem but with capybaras, two ways that "controlled" this problem:
- Allowing hunting in some months of the year
- Sterilization, making them unable to have children
this sounds like aot to be honest 😂😂
I think they need to look at the bigger picture to solve this problem. Instead of looking at only the deer population problem, look at the whole ecosystem, they should find the best answer from there.
I say release the apex predators
What can happen when you turn a problem into a product is that demand increases and the incentives to get rid of the problem in the first place is lessened
They really are assholes though, I know first hand LMAO
reminds me a lot of yellowstone, after wolves had been hunted to extinction there. the people who lived there found, over time, the elk and deer ate away the underbrush and bark unfettered, had large population booms, which gradually began to eat away at the forests themselves. birds went away, small game left or was overhunted by coyotes, which similarly had population booms, and the landscape was becoming more barren to favor the deer and elk. when wolves were re-introduced... the problem fixed itself. sadly the japanese wolf is no longer with us, so it probably wouldn't be wise to bring european or american wolves to japan.
edit: man. this comment section is turning into a drinking game. comment from someone who just didn't watch the video? drink. comment from somebody who takes this comment and spins it into some political diatribe? drink. calm down folks.
it's hard to say, I personally don't know enough research of the stability of bringing closest related wolves into the country, bringing more bears in bringing other predators etc
there are rumors of people in the forest still hearing wolf noises on rare occasions. I just hope that that means there are still isolated pairs.
their only one choice hunt them down 🔫🗿
The only other method is to hunt them, but guns are illegal in Japan.
@@Vyz3r they’re not entirely illegal, just very highly regulated and difficult/expensive to get and be licensed for. I was reading up a bit more on this after I watched the video and it sounds like the other issue with the decline in hunting in Japan is just that people tend to be more urbanised now than in previous generations. It did also make me wonder if the people that do hunt tend to go through the trouble of getting a gun license, or if they use other methods. Bows or traps or something?
You make the most fascinating and informative videos.
It's good to see that the people here retain a respect and appreciation for the deer while also seeing the problem of the deer population being enormous. It's really too bad that the Japanese wolf is gone forever, and now people have to play the part of balancing a delicate ecosystem.
For the hunting/processing issue: Hunters in the US for wild hogs had ran into similar problems of not being able to sell harvested games, and had taken to trapping the animals live so they can be brought to a certified processing plant for harvesting. Some places also operate these Mobile Slaughter Units that go from site to site to cut down the hassle of those needing their games processed.
its better for the land to let the pigs rot were they die. the real problem with processing boar meat is most of them are riddled with worms
Another problem is that there are fewer and fewer hunters. It's not a lucrative job compared to *everything* else you can do these days. This will always be the downside in us people dealing with a problem like this when no natural predators are around. Either we push an animal to extinction or it goes the other way. There is no such thing as a balance when we people are involved.
This is almost the exact same situation we have in Appalachia. Ideally, we would recover the native red wolf population and they would keep the deer in balance, but the red wolves are so close to extinction that there are only a few dozen left, so it's very hard to get them to a large enough population to make an impact.
Plus conservatives tend to love murdering wolves only to complain about deer being overpopulated 🤦♂️
Pretty sure the reason red wolves can't recover is that they let their dogs run free and they drive the red wolves in deep forests. Bears and bobcats can help control deer too, but again, dogs push them out.
They are already seriously planning to bring back mammoths, why not red wolves?
Great comment! All over America, really. Deer thrive with no wolves and grizzlies around, and rare plants and the insects that thrive on them are mowed into extinction. Coyotes also do well without those mid to large size predators around (except for black bear?), but that a whole other ecological disaster. Before you know it, large areas of the country are very homogenous... sort of like a front lawn.
@@macc.1132 Which is a disaster, the overpopulation of deer with that nasty wasting virus that’s had an uptick lately is concerning and the culling of wolves and bobcats and mountain lions and their late realization of how important they are is hanging by a thread still to this day, not to mention all the human deaths and economic factors that deer cause with accidents and other shenanigans. They’re more concerned with limiting responsible gun ownership and enacting ridiculous ever increasingly restrictive licensing and excessive fees to generate shady revenue and create more unnecessary red tape for the average citizen then ever nowadays.
It's a bit sad to see because the natural balance has not been maintained. This is why predators are so important in an ecosystem for it to function properly. We people are *terrible* at this, no matter what we do something will go wrong. The problem is as we people expand and move closer and closer to forests, change the land, the first things to go are predators as they directly interfere with us(eating livestock, pets etc) so they get culled quickly. This is why so many non-predatory animals live alongside us near cities or even in cities. There are no predators and free food everywhere. Of course the answer isn't to kill everything but try find a balance and that includes natural predators.
Deer are actually starting to become a problem where I grew up in southern New Jersey. The only predators there who will go after deer are coyotes, and they only do so rarely. The number of deer being taken during the hunting season is way down because not as many people hunt as when I was growing up. When I was a kid, you'd rarely see deer coming near where people live; they stayed out in the wooded areas and you'd really only see them standing in fields way off the road near the woods, or the occasional one that had been hit by a car. Now they come into town a lot more and you see many more of them having been hit by vehicles.
Hunting is murder and it's good that it's illegal in many countries.
A three months injection with contraceptives at the beginning of breeding season is the solution
The USA is so backwards. Ugh.
I was in New Jersey last year, Lincoln harbor, right across the river from Manhattan , and there were bucks fight right next to it right next to the road, I have no idea how they got there.
In the Sierra madre in Mexico, deers are rarely seen. We have coyotes, pumas, newly introduced wolfs and humans keeping them at bay. Not a problem at all.
It's the same in Central. In spring they are everywhere and we get a Increase in road kill too.
Deer lore is cool and all but can we get a video on those gerbils in the graph. I didn’t know japan had wild gerbils, let alone they where the 2nd threat to japans nature 🐱
Yeah that's kind of amusing to me
Perhaps Japanese Field Mouse is a better translation? You can check out the Wikipedia page here (need to translate it though) ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%92%E3%83%A1%E3%83%8D%E3%82%BA%E3%83%9F
@@LifeWhereImFrom That article didn't really delve into why they are so destructive
@@LifeWhereImFrom ya but a video be neater 🐱
You don't know about The Wild Gerbils of Honshu?
the fact that wasting disease hasn’t rampaged through nara park is incredible
My uncle had deers.
Deer poop is different their our own. They are small little grains. They don't really smell or attrack rodents or flies.
I still wouldn't want to step on it, but it's not a much of hazard compared to the poop of other species
@@Sarazoul Your talking about uninfected deer, he's talking about infected deer since wasting disease is caused by a prion which if your familiar with mad cow disease then you get why its so damned terrifying. Though as of now it only affects deer, its just people are afraid that it might start affecting other species of animals or even humans.
Yeah I mean come on Dude, if Japanese people saw a drooling dear that's acting weird, the whole Provence would be in LOCK DOWN! 😂
Not just the park being closed! 😅
Here in America infected deer are killed and buried in Dump Site where no one is allowed to ever dig it up again. 😢
The fact they aren't a main course meal daily is what's incredible. Deers not a problem where Im from, deeeeliciouse!
@@lewisgiles8855if you’re in the US then your statement is certainly not true. Whitetail deer populations are out of control in basically all the eastern us. Hunting a few, even tagging out is no where near enough control. The populations in the northern central US are all sick and need to be wiped out before they infect the rest of them, seems impossible at this point.
Where I'm from, South Alabama, hunting deer is pretty much a way of life. Farmers are allowed to take deer on planted property to protect crops and depending on where you're at, they have to notify Fish and Wildlife, get a game tag number, and it varies but some places the deer needs to be dressed and donated to the needy, some places farmers just put'em up.
Second video I've watched from you. I think you do a great job in keeping viewers attention!
I'm not sure I've tried venison. Will try some when I can!
奈良の鹿は神様の使いですので。他の地域では鹿を駆除している。
Here in Germany, hunters are allowed to process and sell their own game meat. It's commonly served in restaurants, but usually sold on a small business level only - the stuff in supermarkets is usually farmed (often imported from New Zealand). The whole country is split into hunting grounds which are leased out to hunters or groups of them. There's quotas and regulations (given that this is Germany, tons of them) and stuff to manage game populations, and you can even study to become a professional hunter. According to Wikipedia, 1 in 235 Germans is has a hunting license (0,43% of the population), so there's roughly 1 hunter per km² in Germany... Sounds like the main issue keeping Japan from just eating their deer problem are over-complicated legislation and a lack of marketing, really. It's not like there aren't loads of templates for other post-natural cultural landscapes and their handling of game already out there, either.
I've never thought that outside Europe isn't deer hunting something usual to reduce numbers.
The problem in europe is that deer have a lot of fear from humans in europe. In other nations there is a common friendliness. You will destroy it if you kill them.
You are not even allowed to camp or start a fire in your dystopian hellhole
When I lived in Germany I got to meet and befriend a forest mister, so I was able one weekends to help push deer to the hunters. Still the regulations were just mountainous and the NYS archery course and PA hunting courses that I had to take here in the US were nothing compared to what you need in Germany. Now did I shoot a deer in Germany, no comment but I saw a few go down by the people with bows or guns. I even got to see a kid get his first deer, he has to be in his 40's now.
In the US, hunters are typically not allowed to sell meat. However plenty of people transfer it in trade deals. For instance, you can hunt and bring your kill to a butcher to process, and he can keep some of the meat as a fee.
This is such a clearly-structured video, with sources to back everything up, also interviews and a deep dive into the landscape. Really well done! Glad that I'm subscribed to this channel for a couple of years already now.
Very interesting !
Deer are expanding their range in Australia, causing traffic accidents and fatalities very near or in major towns. Southern Sydney area has a population of Russ deer that are much larger than the sika. Finding a wild Russ in your garage at night is a significant issue, not to mention the damage they do to Gardner and infrastructure. The town of Port Macquarie used to have red deer wander out onto the 100 km/hr highway and eat the lawn at McDonalds. Most areas now have deer.
In thus case it's easy,kill them all.
great work on this video! very informative and thank you for interviewing everyone in it. they were very understanding of the situation from a bigger picture perspective. .
This is also a problem in western Pennsylvania in the U.S. It isn’t unusual to look out a window and see a dozen deer in your yard, even in the city.
If only conservatives didn’t love murdering wolves and other predators
Same in NC. Its almost like we should update our hunting laws....
well! you can or capture some to provide food to Tigers or lions
@@arjunratnadev or just eat them. Why keep buying beef or chicken if you can hunt and eat them? For me, deer meat tastes even better than beef
Pennsylvania created their own problem with the hunting regulations they established.
And people think eradicating all predators in an area and leaving only the "peaceful" herbivores won't impact the ecosystem in any way.
This is the same reason it’s legal to hunt them where I live, in New England. The herds get too large and when that happens, they strip the trees.
As an Australian, and Urban Planner, I genuinely appreciate the unique insight you provide into Japanese bureaucracy! Cheers 🙂
he said nothing about japanese bureaucracy and more about what people think of killing deer
@@whitewolf2767 everything is connected. There is bureaucratic process involved in certifying game meat for example. He touches on it in the video, but unless you’re involved in thus kind of work, the link might seem too tenuous to notice
I find your countries approach to feral cats interesting
This is what happens if you kill off all of the natural predators and an environment. This is what happened in Yellowstone, which was almost completely reversed after reintroducing wolves back into the area where the damage was most prevalent.
The wolves were killed off by rabies disease.
It also happens when people like you ban their most natural predator humans from legally being allowed to hunt and control their numbers, then you whine and complain when they become rampant, and then you vote to put those wolves in my state where they kill peoples cattle, which are each worth thousands of dollars. And the danger they pose to people who have to live next to them, and then you are likely the same type of person to force gun control on people like me where you forced wolves to be dumped into my back yard and if it attacks me and I defend myself I can get SUED AND SENT TO JAIL. You do one stupid thing and try to fix it by doing several other stupid things but you don't care when it doesn't effect you, you don't loose your lively-hood, or risk your life, but you demand I and my family risk our lives, and loose lively-hood. Also never mind all the deseise and illness wolves spread around.
@@grenadefullofguts Is this really true? Has this happened anywhere else?
@@grenadefullofguts Where, in Yellowstone or in Japan? I know the situation in Yellowstone was mostly caused by humans trying to exterminate wolves after they began farming livestock in the area.
@@grenadefullofguts Not rabies. Nearest I got from a search on this was the National Parks Service reporting an outbreak of canine distemper that dropped the population severely (but hasn't wiped it out). Wild animal ecology includes their parasites and diseases, so this kind of thing is bound to happen in wild populations. (Resulting in increased deer populations, habitat degradation due to overgrazing, and probably more food for a rapidly recovering wolf population - since with deer you have one birth per year, whereas wolves have one litter per year). It's a cycle. Given enough space for it to happen in, it never (or seldom) ends.
Not really related to this video, but I do love your content, would it be possible to do a video on Minato city? Thanks keep up to good work
Soooo (just 3 mins in): I grew up around several hunters and in a small former farmer village and have just one question. If the deer pose just now a problem to the environment, what happened to their natural predators, that controlled their population prior? And why is it just now, that the forests/wetlands need protection? Why do we need the emphysis on protected plants, to further push the urgency?
Edit (after the end of the Video): You answered every question in the video and more, that came on top along the way... This video is actually extremely well researched. I do not only like this. I love it ^-^
Deer overpopulation is starting to be a problem in my region of Canada (western Quebec). With little culling as younger generations are not interested in hunting and very few predators the white tail deer populations have skyrocketed here, to the point where we have a high winter mortality (sickness and starvation).
like the deer eat so much that there isn't enough food for them, so most die, the plants grow back, then the cycle repeats?
@@tfyk5623 The cycle might not easily done considering plants growing is being more difficult nowadays, it might become a retardive ecosystem, in other word, might become a desert.
We have the opposite problem in my country - too many people want to hunt. Can we come to Canada and hunt for you?
@@iwiffitthitotonacc4673 which country?
@@tfyk5623 Denmark - I wanted to start hunting as a hobby myself and apparently it has gotten massively popular, because it is something to do outside with friends and is relatively easy.
oh deer...
dear oh deer...
not again...
Oh deer
Did you think of this one all by yourself?
h deer..
youtubeeem.com/KUaGz8PlOyQ
Australian, and Urban Planner, I genuinely appreciate the uniqu
好心啦 哪个国家不一样，何况你们只是一个区
youtubeeem.com/TQ9wf2cEKg0
救治及时、没有伤及重要器官、当时没有大出血、有钱、牛团队、真不希奇。
Wow 😮 I would have Never Guess that the Deer 🦌 population was quite a problem their in Japan!! Here in the states we have some similar issues!! I was residing in the state of Pennsylvania and much to my Surprise the deer was everywhere!! For the most part I think people have come to accept them but sadly their hunted during Deer Season 😢!! I truly enjoyed watching 👀 this phenomenal video very informative!! Thanks for Sharing💙🤍🦋🤍💙
with the decline of natural predators, if deer aren't hunted they will do enormous damage to local ecosystems, just as this video talks about, and spread diseases like CWD. it's not sad that people hunt deer, it's necessary because of the damage humans caused by wiping out apex predator populations and opposing their reintroduction. responsible, well regulated hunting, with the aim of controlling deer populations to within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, is important for conservation of a wide range of animal and plant species who rely on ecosystems that herds of hungry deer can and will destroy.
8:40 this scene is far more beautiful than the time it gets on screen conveys. ❤
Deer are abundant where I'm at in Michigan too. Your video made me curious, so I did a quick google search. Apparently the population is about 2 million, up from 300,000 only 10 years ago. Probably similar contributing factors... Warmer winters, aging hunting population, lack of predators. Very interesting.
Lack of predators thanks to conservatives that love murdering those predators
Well that what happens when u killed the predators.
In Austria, we keep the population in check by hunting a specific quota during specific times in the year. We don't disturb the deer and boar during mating and child rearing season. They are also fed during winter, which I think helps keep them in certain areas and from eating too many trees. At the same time, they are important for the health of the woods, so it's a win-win situation. Of course, hunted animals don't go to waste as they are used for food and stuff. We are, of course, a much smaller country, so logistics are easier. Venison is delicious, though. It's a very deep, very rich meat taste and it's generally very lean meat. It's considered almost a delicacy here and prices reflect that.
Würdest du auch diesen Schuß wagen? Ich nicht! th-cam.com/video/NuiBD1gnrOI/w-d-xo.html
Zu deiner Info, der Sikahirsch steht bei 3:12 in der Bildmitte und bei 3:13 sieht man in zwischen den Bäumen weglaufen. Wild schießen so wie sie es in Japan machen kann man nicht "jagen" nennen. Dazu kommt dass die nur wenige, als Delikatessen bekannte, Fleischteile mitnehmen und den Rest des erlegten Wilds vor Ort verrotten lassen, weil es ja so viele Sikahirsche gibt!
I'm in US, we alao have too many rabbits and deers in my area. If you accidentally hit and kill one with your car, you are legally able to take them home 😅
Australia has got rat infestation and we have no ways to stop them from growing exponentially in numbers as pest control doesn't fix the problem
here in Pennsylvania, USA. We see a lot of deer that are either hit or run over by vehicles are always on the side of the road. Nobody cleans it up unless you will take it home or it's been turned into minced meat on the road with a visible red stain all over the road.
I spent time in Nara Park a few years ago. It was one of the most pleasant experiences I've ever had in my life, even though the deer can get pushy when demanding treats lol.
Sounds like they need to pull a Yellowstone
There is a society in Japan that wants to do that.
Not really. It sounds like they're getting it under control, so introducing another population of (much more dangerous to humans) animals could cause a whole slew of new problems.
We need bears. BIG ones.
@@MrMarttivainaa their are grizzlies in japan but only in Hokkaido
What happened in Yellowstone
We have the same problem in New Zealand. There are deer out in the bush, damaging the ecosystem, eating everything in sight. We hunt them, but there are so many in places that are remote and very difficult to get to. So they're out there, eating trees and plants faster than they can grow.
Stop call it a problem.
@@Zerpentsa6598 But it IS a problem. There aren't supposed to be any deer here, they're an invasive species, driving native creatures into decline.
@The Hangman's Daughter It is not their problem, it's human induced problem.
@@aditisk99 That may well be true, but it doesn't mean they should be there. If anything it proves they're not! Just because some idiot decided he'd like to go deer hunting in the 1800s doesn't mean we don't need to kill every last damn deer in New Zealand. We do! They eat everything in sight, leaving nothing for our precious native creatures. They rip up the underbrush, destroying nesting sites of ground dwelling birds.
The fact they were brought here is very much their problem. It's not their fault, but it is their problem, because it means we're out to kill as many as we can.
The only good deer in NZ is the one on my plate.
Exactly, deer don’t even BELONG in NZ
With other countries, like the US, UK, mainland Europe, and Japan, the problem is that there are no native predators in high enough numbers to keep the deer in check.
In NZ, the problem is deer don’t even belong, but some idiots decided to introduce them to the islands, and now they’re wrecking the place.
I went to Nara last December and there were a couple deer chewing on the chains on the side of the path
one of their big problems is how short the window is to use the meat. depending on the temperature the meat can sit out for a day and still be fine. maybe have lesser restrictions for export im sure there are tons of island nations that would love another protein source
Interesting how similar this problem is in Japan and Germany! We are also very low on deer predators, only a handful of wolves and lynx in some nature preserves. So their high numbers and subsequent damage to vegetation are a major headache for our forestry department in some years as well.
This is actually a big problem in many countries. As we spread out, building housing, farmlands etc we move into predatory territory. They are the first to get culled as they directly interfere with us in various ways, livestock/pets etc. The problem is that there aren't many big predators left so the balance really gets skewed. It also doesn't help that animals aren't dumb, they move closer and closer to us humans and start living in our cities where it's very safe from predators and food everywhere. It doesn't mean we should kill everything in a city but it's just something we have to adapt to as we take over land that belongs to animals.
I got a hunting license 3 years ago (despite my parents objections), and hunting is an amazing activity. You get to spend hours in the woods with your hunting pals, and you get to eat something you yourself have killed. It's a humbling but inspiring experience.
I love deer and pheasant, 2 of my favorite meats to cook and eat.
Do u live in Japan
I hate hunting but as long as it’s not an endanger species that you kill I guess it’s ok, too bad all wolves in japan died to rabies
@@ZionistGundam hunting is a very regulated activity in the US, if they have a license and want to keep that license then you can rest assured that they are not hunting endangered species but in fact is keeping animal populations in check.
Nice, it’s less cruel than the food bought at the supermarket, I personally don’t hunt but I fish and eat the fish. :)
@@ZionistGundam hunting is less cruel than the food at the supermarket, they are raised in captivity in terrible conditions just to die, Atleast with hunting they live part of their life in the wild.
That is really cool deers can walk around freely!
We have a similar problem in the eastern US, especially Pennsylvania (and our deer are significantly larger than the ones in this video).
They've even had to cull the deer in Valley Forge National Park, in suburban Philadelphia.
They are cute when you see one or two, but a couple of years ago, in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, I saw groups of 10 or 15 in the middle of the night wandering around like they owned the place, in fields and peoples' yards. At 2 or 3 AM, it's kind of creepy.
i drove through west texas and for literally 10 minutes at 60mph all i could see one night was deer on either side of the road. terrified one was going to jump out in front of me but thankfully didnt have that problem
After a honeymoon in Nara I developed a beef allergy that happens to people in the US after getting bit by a deer tick.
That's fukked up
That is sad to hear, but it just happens to US people?
@@ronaroundtheglobe2733 Nope Lyme disease can happen to anyone
I just read about it. It’s called Alpha Gal Syndrome. Very weird stuff.
@@ronaroundtheglobe2733 well we do our best to avoid it, but yeah, sometimes it happens.
Here in Georgia, the deer would mock the fence they have erected. They can basically jump 8 to 10 feet straight up from standing still.
@Lucky Joestar Forgive my lack of precision regarding that. The one "near Alabama". Thank you
!
Different species of deer, I think.
Yeah, the white tails here will just step over those.
Are there Beavers in Japan? It looks like a great place to introduce them if they don't have any.
I live in Japan and we buy venison around 2-3 times every year. Dear is rather healthy as it has almost no fat. (A fat deer can't live very long in the wild generally).
This reminds me why in America we hunt deer. 100 years ago the US was mostly forest and grasslands. Then came settlers who planted crops. This was literally free food for deer. Nothing better than corn fed deer. I remember going to farmer in Wisconsin asking to hunt in the woods next to his fields. He begged us to hunt them as they had eaten 1/4 of crop. Human drastically changed the ecosystem in the US. Hunting is just a way of righting that.
Interesting issue Greg! Never thought this would be a problem in Japan. 😅
Very interesting video. In Mie prefecture, where I live, the deer population is a real problem, especially for the people living in mountain villages (who also tend to be farmers). A family friend of ours is a hunter, and the makes decent money just culling deer (and boar) in local villages. Interestingly, he told me a good portion of the meat actually does get eaten - given away to visitors at a campsite he runs, and also sold to local restaurants that serve “gibier”, or local wild meats. (I think the rules about this may be a LITTLE more relaxed where I live. 😆)
I think they can set up a meat contract with restaurants but can't sell it like a meat market.
Similarly, here in Shizuoka prefecture there is a restaurant that serves only meat that they hunt. The wife runs the restaurant and the husband is the hunter. They have limited amounts so you have to reserve in advance. I haven't asked them about the regulations that they follow, though.
I rather suspect as in most cases its a case of the restaurant not asking any questions and not talking to the health authorities.
@@Shrouded_reaper If they are publicly acknowledging that they serve game meat there is zero chance the health department is looking the other way. They clearly have received permission to do so. Japanese governmental bureaucracy is very thorough! Rarely efficient but always thorough! :)
lol! I love how the graph chart almost resembles the shape of Japan itself. XD
This just proves that balance is very important.
That's so cute how they taught the deer to bow!
If Japan wanted to create a natural balance they'd need to reintroduce predators that were wiped out. They once had Eurasian Lynx and Wolves. The Eurasian Lynx lived in Japan during the Jomon and Early Yayoi, before being killed off by humans. The Wolf was native to the islands of Japan before being killed off by humans in the 20th century. However the Wolves of Japan were two distinct lineages. The Honshu Wolf was an ancient lineage that broke off early from the Eurasian Gray Wolf and today that lineage only survives in the Apennine Wolf or Italian Wolf, and that lineage is related to the Wolves that were first domesticated into dogs, infact many Japanese dog breeds have some of this Honshu Wolf DNA in them, and on the other hand the Hokkaido Wolf is actually related to North American Wolves and thus the Modern Gray Wolf lineage. If they wanted to carefully reconstruct to the best of their abilities a Honshu Wolf they would have to acquire Apennine/Italian Wolves, crossbreed them with a range of Japanese dog breeds such as the Shikoku-Inu, Akita-Inu, Shiba-inu, then rebreed them with Italian Wolves, then slowly reintroduce them. As for Hokkaido they would have to acquire North American Wolves from the United States and Canada, and then slowly reintroduce them on Hokkaido. The Eurasian Lynx could also be reintroduced in smaller numbers from populations acquired from Russia, China, and Northern Europe. This would bring a natural balance back and bring once native populations back to Japan.
Thanks you.
I had been Searching of lynxes lived in Japan for years and never actually found something on that.
Now i know why, because they sent extinct long time before what i was expecting and Searching for.
It's also strange that tiger and leopard never lived there no ?
The problem isn't that the predators will deal with the deer or similar, it's that they come in contact with us people. To be fair many predators are fairly harmless to us but there are exceptions and never forget that predators go after livestock and pets as well which is a BIG problem(also a reason why they were culled to begin with in many countries).
@@huldu
That and religion, ideology and traditionnal medecine and habitat destruction.
Pets are invasive species that cause a lot of dammage and attack on pet by large carnivore such as lynx and wolves are very rare.
And the impact on livestock is generally negligeable and easy to avoid with few trick and simple solution.
Plus the positive impact of having those animals back in a ecosystem where they belong and were exterminated by us and where they have a positive impact that provide many benefit other than simply let another specie live where they're supposed to live if it wasn't for us.
Benefit such as ecosystem mannagment, control of prey population and ecotourism.
Those benefit largely surpass the impact they can have on livestock, (which are invasive species who destroy the ecosystem and can represent a risk for human health and should'nt even exist in the first place anyway)
there's no excuse to not bring back those species.
There's some inconvenient yes, which are largely acceptale and nothing in comparison to the benefit their presence provide.
So interesting! Where I live (DC) the deer have to be culled every year.
What about introducing Lynx or Bobcats there? Should that generate other kind of problems?
Call the principal from Nichijou to handle the more aggressive deer, lol
What a layperson you must be, just ridiculous, they don´t need to feed wild animals and tame them in that way in the city. Then they don´t have problems with "aggressive" deer.
@@wzukr I don't think you understood the reference...
In Australia it is the Eastern Grey Kangaroo population that roughly parallels your deer's problems. Impacts with cars has a created a very profitable business in car repairs.
I heared from friends in Down Under that Aussies don´t even brake for animals on the road, is that true?
@@wzukr No. We brake. Mostly at dusk they feed on the roadsides. Easily startled, when a car comes they run across the road instead of away from it. Usually it's the 2nd or 3rd one that you hit. Ruins your day. (and theirs)
Once again, that’s what happens when you kill off all or a majority of the native predators.
It's quite fascinating how ecosystem balance works, if we have too much predators on the wild the greater risk for the local animal population will be, if we have too much prey on the wild the greater the risk for the local plant life will be.
So many deer live where I am in western canada. Can almost always see deer on the road driving to and from work. Will frequently find deer in my backyard that jumped our 6 foot fence.
I have watched deer jump an 8ft fence
We went to Nara last Feb 2023, bought 1000 yen worth of cookies for them. They kinda swarmed me in the end and it caused me to panic and they bumped the selfie stick on my hand cracking my phone screen. Aside from that it was a wonderful experience. They can just get pretty aggressive at times and when you have 9 deer surrounding you it's a different ball game.
They are so quick and forceful! Plus the guy at the cracker stand broke open the packet of crackers, immediately alerting all of the deer that were gathered in a big clump. I would have preferred to move away a little to get more space.
I feel like this is an opportunity for trying to get bow-hunter tourism to the nation.
Many would pay good money for the chance to visit Japan and go on a hunt in an ecosystem different from western forests
What I'd like to know is if making hunting more open to foreign hunters, be they archery (which sounds like it would be easier to get permits/legal exemptions for) or firearm hunting, would lead to more of the meat being used? I know several fellow hunters, including my father, who will hunt out of country, then ship the meat back from a hunt, so this could maybe increase the amount of meat being harvested instead of wasted?
I love that they bow to people like long legged doggos
As always, such a great educational video for someone from the States. As someone who has eaten venison throughout my lifetime, maybe it’s marketing? In my part of the US, venison has a very distinctive taste, no matter how it is prepared. If you were unable to detect the gamey-bit in a taste test, perhaps there’s a “wagu-deer” component for deer in Japan?
I’m still curious as to why. I had it twice in two different locations and it did not have that gamey taste. Venison I had in Canada did. Is it what the deer ate or how it was processed? Or was it in the cooking?
@@LifeWhereImFrom from what i have been told, their gamey taste comes from their diet and environment. Certain methods in the cooking process can remove some of it and hide the gamey taste such as spices and other ingredients.
You were probably served a wild deer in Canada and the other two were farm raised deer that taste less gamey. Ultimately it is their diet and which season they are hunted on. Early autumn (September - mid October) is the best time just before they start mating and breeding since the reproductive hormones affect the meat.
The exact same problem is happening in the United Kingdom. No wolves = too many deer and foxes, and declines of forest and birds.
And guess who refuse go reintroduce even a des lynxes and eagles for decade despite the fact that it would be good ?
This deer overpopulation issue is a surface problem that occurs when a basic understanding of the original causal factors that initiated the imbalance is absent. Knowing the natural history of a region can be crucial when working to correct environmental degradation. A lack of this awareness is what prevents people from ever truly touching the source of the malady and therefore actually implementing the necessary changes sensitive to the well-being of all life. I highly recommend the book Tending The Wild by M. Kat Anderson. It is one of the most significant books I have ever read and is all about the incredible land-care methods utilized by the Indian tribes of California. Their use of gentle fire in heightening the abundance and quality of natural resources, namely plants and animals, will give you the most valuable insight regarding the amazing life-enhancing abilities we human beings possess; it is a must-read. It's one thing to know something intellectually, but it is something totally different to have the imagination to picture a thriving, beautiful landscape. They are both needed.
I believe that it might have been in Wisconsin where the deer population were decimating much of the wild flora. Because they were eating so much, it affected other fauna, hurting the ecosystem. And this was on account of protections from hunting. This is why fauna population management is so important.
Wild deer near Ipswich (a city next to Brisbane in Australia) was also dealing with wild deer about a decade ago. They were attacking people and property, resulting in calls for animal control to do a large scale capture program like they did for wild ducks in the Brisbane CBD a year or so before. The deer were believed to have been descendants of those that were raised at the Forest Glen Deer Sanctuary back in the 80s and early 90s that had inevitably escaped.
There are wolves on my property I think is my best to import them to Japan
💯
If only the Okami was still around, the native wolf to help curb the deer population. In North America especially around the national parks where deer had an overpopulation, wolves were the answer to both the wolves' rebound from being endangered and to help the wildlife become more fit and healthy.
I'm not saying wolves should be introduced yet maybe some natural approach to population control might help, not disease or parasites either. Nature takes care of herself and if man would respect how she handles things unnecessary culling wouldn't be an issue.
Can imagine that it can be quiet dangerous in sparsly populated areas.
I mean there are old people in the mountains having roblem with deers.
Generally they are afraid of humans. But if there are old people wandering alone....I can imagine that people can get killed....
Go wolves!
Declare open season with no limit on deer, they should be extinct by the end of the year.
@@DickCheneyXX Humans are pretty good at killing. Though i dont know if the japanese got the heart to do it.
@@MaDmanex100 also the fact that it's probably really hard to get a rifle and a hunting permit in japan, so there isn't a huge hunting culture unlike in other countries
I wonder if the Japanese cinsidered exporting or spreading the deer to different countries that might be interested in omporting them?
奈良の鹿は人気ですね〜。
春になると桜も咲きますし、とても綺麗ですよ。
I'm planning on getting a hunting license when I'm old enough, and will hunt a deer a year or so if I can. One deer is enough to feed a family for a while, unless deer is the bulk of what they're eating, so unless you're working to sell venison overseas, you won't be hunting more than a few deer a year depending on the size. I'd need like one deer to last me 10 months to a year. Hunting won't do much, even if a lot of people get involved, due to the amount of meat a deer yields, but using deer as more than food (like for fertilizer or something) will make it easier to use the meat in a way that seems less wasteful than just killing and incinerating old and sick deer.
Yeah, I was told this exact thing about hunters. There's only so much they can eat and it can be difficult and not very profitable to sell the meat commercially. I know that they use incinerated deer ash in construction.
@@LifeWhereImFrom Actually, for a family it would probably take closer to 6-8 鹿deer to feed them in a year because they are so much smaller than typical game found elsewhere. But, that’s assuming it would be your only protein source all year.
Even old deer are yummy with the right spices and slow cooking. I have seen deer meat given to food banks as a way to use it up.
Deer meat can be used as a source of food to pets or even to animais in zoo too. So even if people do not eat much meat it can be useful.
If I remember my math correctly, meat yield will be approximately half the field dressed weight of the animal. (Field dressing being the head, hide and innards removed).
An 180lb/82kg whitetail will yield about 70-75lbs/32-34kg of meat (assuming good butchering skills)
Sell tags to foreign hunters. It would be great for the economy.
Do you guys hunt? Venison is delicious.
I'm surprised that a lot of the meat from culled deer cannot be sold, but can be eaten. I wonder if a system could be set up so that the surplus meat is sent to facitilies such as nursing homes, schools, soup kitchens and maybe even given to struggling families.
It's always very frustrating to see so much waste caused by overbearing beaurocracy. When in uni in the UK I worked in retail and food had to be disposed of if they went past the use-by date (even if they were perfectly edible) instead of being given to those in need or donated to a food bank to give out the next day.
Just invite Minnesota deer hunters to Japan!
That’s actually not a bad idea. Solves the deer problem and increases the tourism industry.
Maybe... But I doupt locals would be thrilled to see americans running around with guns on camo outfits killing the messenger of a kami they admire. 😂
@@pocarisweet8336 🤣🤣🤣
Too many Americans in one place creates confusion and unhappiness. As an American I understand this.
@@pocarisweet8336 Well then, we'll dress them up as ninjas. They'll blend right in.
On a more sustainable solution is indeed thin the herd, although there are practical issues, for me as an American who used firearms. Japans does not have a same direct route, you can have a firearm in Japan, but you need to managed ammunition, it’s cartilages count (which is hard enough to me to keep track of.), join a hunting group, purchase a legal firearm, and more bureaucracy that I not even aware of.
I don’t think selling of wild meat would work either , here in Wisconsin, you can’t sell wild meat to the public, due to health (lime disease) and food safety (meat processing).
Side note: Trapping deer would be an interesting tropic!
We came across a farm in Hokkaido that does indeed trap deer, keep them on the farm, and then commercially process them. There could be more farms, but so far I've only heard of that single farm that does this.
They also do trap deers as part of the culling (cage traps and leg traps).
Use crossbows! Just as effective
The most sustainable solution is to return a natural food chain by introducing the deer predator back, aka wolves.
@@Bionickpunk Woooooo very curious how that would play out.
Isn't there a real danger of catching prion disease from eating deer with chronic wasting disease? That's why you can't eat deer in the US. It's the most scary disease in my book.
do they carry ticks/lyme disiese ?
Introducing a small amount of wolves or wild dogs wouldn't be beneficial? Or Could this do more harm than good? I was expecting a bit more info on this, since Yellowstone did great after reintroducing wolves, although they are creatures native to that environment, so it's different.
If there's more info to this, I wold appreciate a comment explaining it to me
"Humans got involved, and then bad things started happening."
A story as old as time.
I’ve never wanted venison more than when a deer stole my takoyaki (stick, cardboard package, and all) at Miyajima.
The Miyajima deer love eating paper shopping bags, too.
Animals detect changes in atmospheric pressure or electromagnetic fields before it happens anything and we may not notice that.
5:31 deer and rice sounds like a good meal to me
How this can play out can be seen in the British Isles. Sheep and deer eat everything there and do not allow new trees to grow. All that's left are bare hills covered in low grass.
Reintroducing wolves and lynx could help a lot in Britain and Japan.
It’s simple. Time to eat half of them. Duhhhh 🙄
10:15 - How do you cull deer without hunting them?
Thanks to this video, now i know why the headmaster in Nichijou did a smackdown against a deer
Visited Nara and Miyajima in Fall of 2017 and couldn’t believe how aggressive the deer were, especially if you had any food. They looked tame, but I think it was the humans that were tamed by the deer. Lol. Saw lots of people with hoof marks on them. Not good getting stomped in chest by these small deer.
Have they looked into reintroducing wolves? This worked wonders for Yellowstone.
That would mean introducing wolf species that aren't native to Japan, which could cause unforeseen issues. Especially since the Honshu wolf seems quite unique (unlike the Hokkaido wolf).
Well I would prefer that, but it’s like when dingos were brought to Australia, they took the place of the wolves there. Can’t science bring back the Japanese wolves somehow?
Idk this is weird to me. Having so much wild game available is a blessing. It's their fault for not utilizing it properly. I mean they literally are walking into cities, they are practically begging to be eaten! Y'all need to pick up archery again!
May be some predators must be introduced which might control the population of deer ( if deer is revered ). Or eliminate in phases.
Just allow hunting. Japan has huge restrictions of guns so allow bow hunting. Archery is still practiced now it will be practical. Hell if I vacationed there and could book a hunt that could be good for the local economy and very enjoyable.
I would reintroduce wolves. It has been tried in other places and it works wonders.
I'm pretty sure that would be a big nope from the Japanese general public, especially farmers in rural areas (almost all of Japan is covered with mountains). There has to be a promotion to eat venison. Personally, I think it's great.
@@alukuhito It probably _would_ be a big nope from the public, but it's the only thing that is likely to actually work. I didn't think about while watching this video but I actually grew up on a former deer farm and yet I've only rarely eaten venison in my life, it's just too expensive. You simply can't make money hunting deer despite the high selling price; selling wild meat is subject to rigorous standards (and for good reason imo, just look at covid and other viruses).
Here in New Zealand the govt also culls wild animals like deer. Despite a vigorous hunting culture here the hunters are not able to kill enough and we also lack an apex predator (giant eagles existed here instead of wolves).
@@korakys Giant eagles sound cool.
@@alukuhito hell yeah! Unfortunately they died out about 500-600 years ago when all their prey were hunted to extinction by humans.
So how are they culled?
Yup. Here we got the Beer (bud-light) problem.
release tiger in the wild
Tigers are not native to Japan and are very large, powerful big cats that require wide territories. With Japan not having any competing predators such as wolf packs and brown bears that can rival the cats nor any large herbivores such as rhinos and elephants that can put them in their place. Tigers might become a problematic invasive species if released into the Japanese wilderness with the only benefits being controlling the sika deer and wild boar populations.
@@elmono6299 it’s sarcasm
@@eleche2biotech oh my bad.
I was thinking of wolves but tigers' probablly be too much
Protect-tuh deer-a-roo
Tree barks are delicious for them. Deers are delicious too…
How do I get my deer tag there?