In 1996, in Miyajima, Hiroshima the Itsukushima Shrine became a world spot of the UNESCO World Heritage. For 6,000 years, deer have thrived there. Long ago, people worshiped the deer as a servant of a god, and offered food to small temples. After the war, the deer had decreased in population, so people decided to feed them. Because of this, millions of people began to come to see these tame deers. Giving them excess food increased their population, but the mountain's vegetation was raided by deer. The city decided to reduce their population. This methods of reduction is very brutal. Their method that they have decided to take, is to stop feeding them and therefore would go into forest where they would search for food. But there are not much vegetation in the mountains anymore and as a result, they could not find suitable foods. The injured or sick deer were not treated, and the city allowed the deer to starve to death in order to reduce the population. The dead deer are classified as "naturally dead" and the city will take no responsibility of the cause. There are over 400 deer overall. The deer have resulted in eating tourist garbage such as plastic bags and paper, which results in death. The deer's fur was not glossy and healthy as before. Ribs began to show up on their sides. Soon, the deer attacks local garbage or eat stones and plastic bags in their desperate pursuit for food. In the city, with the pity for the deer, a weak person continues to feed the deer. And those deer whom are critical to death are kept well alive. There are volunteers that consistently pick up trash, but more trash are littered more then they can pick up. The government, without planting new bushes or adding more trash cans to the area, won't make the attempt to restore the health of the mountain. As a result, 100 deer die each year, and those 100 deer babies born are weak. It is brutal to feed the deer to promote tourism, all of a sudden quit feeding them, then thrown back into the food less mountain. I have gathered over 5000 signatures. There were 6000 deer living on the island before humans have settled there. It has grown to become a symbol for that land. With the land marked as a world treasure, the deer is part of that treasure as well. There are many deer that just sit on the ground without moving. Since this is a Shinto shrine, this is a very unacceptable situation to their beliefs. These deer are adapted to humans giving them food. We must keep them and care for them until they are well enough to be released from the wild. Please sign this petition in order to restore the health of the mountain, protect the deer, and control the birth of deer.
For the deer in Miyajima, to restore the health of the mountain, to control the birth of deer, and avoid from starving them, please protect them.
