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       A herd of Yezo deer are seen on a sandbar of the Toyohira River in Sapporo's Chuo Ward on Jan. 12, 2022. Beyond the river are buildings in Toyohira Ward. (Mainichi/Taichi Kaizuka)

       SAPPORO -- A herd of Yezo deer indigenous to Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido were seen on a bed of the Toyohira River in the central part of this city.

       The Yezo deer were spotted between Jan. 8 and 12. It is rare that a herd of deer are observed in central Sapporo, and they were warily looking at their surroundings through trees.

       According to the Sapporo Municipal Government, a resident made a report to Hokkaido Prefectural Police at around 10 p.m. on Jan. 8 saying that a herd of some 20 deer were on the Toyohira River bed about 400 meters north of a river island in the city's Chuo Ward and moving south. About two hours later, some 20 deer were spotted on a riverbed about 800 meters south of a sandbar.

       The Mainichi Shimbun confirmed nine of them were on the riverbed on the night of Jan. 11 and seven on the island at around noon on Jan. 12. They were wandering while having their noses near the ground as if looking for food. Deer eat tree branches and bark in winter.

       The cutting of trees on the river island is planned for Jan. 13. The deer may then leave the site because they tend to be wary and there will be no food there. While the prefectural police and other authorities intend to respond if the deer appear downtown, a city official said, "We'll stand quietly away from them if they stay in the river area or in a mountain forest. We want people to watch over them quietly because they don't willingly attack humans."

       (Japanese original by Takumi Taniguchi and Yui Takahashi, Hokkaido News Department)

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