In the city of Nara, Japan, deer are very friendly and roam the city freely. According to Japanese mythology, a god named Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to protect the newly built capital of Heijokyo. This is why the deer are seen as heavenly animals guarding the city and the country. The deer are also believed to be messengers of the gods and often roam around the temples. In 1957, the sacred deer were designated natural treasures.
The deer that inhabit Nara are spotted deer or Sika deer and are also known as bowing deer because they bow their heads before being fed, almost as if they are saying thankyou. The deer can be found roaming anywhere and everywhere, but the highest concentration is in Nara Park, where they sell deer biscuits, called Shika Sembei, to tourists.
However, plastic packaging discarded by visitors often ends up in the animals’ stomachs and can ultimately lead to their death. Thankfully, local companies have developed a safe and edible alternative to plastic; and now, the divine, free-roaming deer no longer face discomfort or death.
In 2019, quite a few of the 1,300 deer that reside in the ancient capital’s central park died after swallowing food wrappers and plastic bags. Immediately, the park called for tourists not to leave their garbage behind. One of the dead deer had consumed up to 4kg (roughly 8.8lbs) of plastic!
Several firms joined forces to develop edible bags that can pass safely through the animals’ complex digestive system. These bags are made of recycled pulp from milk cartons and rice bran, one of the main ingredients in the tasty Shika senbei crackers fed to them by tourists.
“We made the paper with the deer in mind. Tourism in Nara is supported by deer, so we will protect them and promote the bags as a brand for the local economy,” said entrepreneur Hidetoshi Matsukawa, who recruited the other firms after hearing about the deer deaths.
Matsukawa and his colleagues spent twelve months developing this safe and edible bag. Since its launch, around 3,500 of the bags have been sold to local companies and organizations, such as the city’s tourism bureau.
