Close to animals

This year, social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book, triggered the trend "Encountering Deer and Geese in Olympic Forest Park", with netizens sharing their experiences of seeing small animals at the venue.

Wang Hui, scenic area management branch manager at Beijing Shi Ao Forest Park Development and Management Co, said, "When observing wildlife in the park, visitors generally choose times when the animals are most active, such as dawn or dusk, but this requires a considerable amount of time and effort.

"To meet growing demand from visitors who want to experience the animal world at the park, the Love Companion Family Pet Garden opened in the southern part of the venue in 2020. Visitors, especially families with children, can enjoy a more diverse and enriching experience of getting close to and learning about animals through interacting with adorable creatures such as alpacas, foals, ostriches, pygmy hogs, groundhogs, guinea pigs, and so on," Wang Hui added.

"The sika deer and geese that visitors encounter at Olympic Forest Park are found in the Deer Camp Forest Tribe area in the northern part of the park, which opened in April."

Sun Jianhua, deputy manager of the Deer Camp Forest Tribe area, said: "Initially, this large forest area by the river was relatively quiet. We wanted to set up a camp there, but later found that the conditions were suitable for the sika deer, so we decided to raise some of these animals to provide a better natural space for visitors while they encountered them."

The camp is home to 11 sika deer — five adults and six fawns — as well as lion-headed geese and rabbits, all of whom are extremely tame and friendly.

"The deer and geese, which roam freely throughout the camp area, have also attracted mallard ducks, domestic geese and black swans," Sun added.

"In addition, we protect the camp environment by not damaging the green areas. We water the ground to prevent it from becoming hard, use permeable bricks in the play area, and avoid hammering nails into trees, among other measures. We also organize occasional animal science popularization activities."

Zhu Guangxi, a 5-year-old girl, was excited to visit the camp. "Look, that little deer has a white heart-shaped patch on its buttocks — it's so cute," she said.

Her mother, Liang Wenxing, 35, who brought Guangxi to the camp for the second time, said: "We came here a few weeks ago, and she really liked it, so we came again today specifically to feed the deer. During weekends and holidays, we focus more on bringing children close to animals.

"We live not far from the park, and compared to zoo inmates, we can have close interactions with the animals here. The deer even playfully chases after Guangxi, which makes her very happy."

The entrance fee to the deer camp is 39 yuan ($5.50) per person, and a special bag of deer cookies costs 25 yuan. From the end of September to the middle of this month, the camp hosted the LEGO Animal Kingdom Sculpture Art Exhibition. Admission was 99 yuan for adults, but children could enter free of charge.

In the camp area, numerous visitors sit and chat while watching the deer walk around. After feeding them, a 26-year-old office worker, who only wanted to be identified as Wang, took photos with her friends beneath a large tree and beside LEGO animal sculptures to capture a beautiful sunset.