Deer Watching in Richmond Park, London 2025

Richmond Park, a forest nature reserve, is the largest among the royal parks of London and the second largest in the UK. This huge area with picturesque lakes, green fields, a river, ponds, and centuries-old oaks, was a popular hunting ground for Henry VIII and Charles I.

Kings hunted in this park for deer, the largest wild animals of Britain. Today, about 600 deer live in a park: about 400 spotted and over 200 red deer. Now hunting is prohibited in the park, so deer are not afraid of people at all and they can often be seen walking in small groups

During autumn the deer engage in rutting: red stags and fallow bucks compete for females. Sometimes they are very aggressive: the large males roar, bark, and clash antlers in a spectacular way attempting to fight off rivals and attract many females.

In turn, in May–July, little fawns (baby deer) are born. However, don't go close to the young calves, the mothers may become aggressive guarding their offspring.