Photo/Illutration A wild deer at a facility in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward on June 3 after it had wandered around and was captured in the ward. (Emi Iwata)

With its alert eyes, well-toned legs, hips and spry movement, the deer that arrived last week at the Ichihara Elephant Kingdom, a zoo in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, has the look of a wild animal.

It is kept in separate quarters from the zoo's 14 other deer, which have been around long enough to be quite used to humans.

The deer appeared late last month on the riverbed of the Arakawa river in Tokyo. Police were notified, and Adachi Ward took the animal into custody.

The ward office was inundated with phone calls pleading not to kill the deer.

But since the animal was classified as a varmint when the ward applied for permission to capture it, releasing it back to the wild was not an option.

The ward turned to the Elephant Kingdom for help, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"We are keeping it quarantined to check for diseases it might have contracted in the wild, and we'll take our time caring for it," said Mai Sasaki, 41, a zoo staffer. The zoo doesn't know if or when the deer will be introduced to the public, but it has received many encouraging phone calls, according to Sasaki.

"Ten years ago, I could never have imagined a wild deer appearing anywhere within the 23 wards of Tokyo," said animal ecologist Seiki Takatsuki, 70.

He became deeply worried when he was watching television news and saw the deer's unsteady gait immediately after its capture, a telltale sign that the animal was under tremendous stress.

For decades, the deer's natural habitat has undergone drastic transitions, Takatsuki pointed out.

In the past, most deer lived deep in the woods and few ever ventured near human settlements. But that changed as agriculture and forestry continued to decline. In the days ahead, Takatsuki predicts more deer will lose their way and show up in urban areas.

The deer that arrived at the Elephant Kingdom was given the name "Kepu-kun," short for the English word "escape."

A person may see Disney's adorable Bambi in a deer, while another person may see a detestable pest that destroys crops.

This is an animal that really evokes disparate feelings in humans.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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