TOKYO: Nine deer have died recently at a famed park in western Japan after swallowing plastic bags.

Nine of the 14 deer that have died since March had plastic in their stomachs, says the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation. Masses of tangled plastic litter and packets of snacks were retrieved from their stomachs, with the heaviest amount weighing 4.3 kilograms (9 ½ pounds).

Nara Park has more than 1,000 deer, and tourists can feed them special sugar-free crackers sold in shops nearby. The crackers don’t come in plastic bags, but people still carry them. (Agencies)