Two nude sunbathers who were surprised by a wild deer and ran into the forest near Sydney have been fined for breaching Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the pair got lost after running into a forest on seeing the deer. Others said they paid a deer price for doing so. Photo: AFP
The men were among 44 people fined at the weekend for infringing restrictions in Sydney and surrounding areas meant to rein in an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant that has spread to both coasts.
"They were startled by a deer, ran into the national park, and got lost," police commissioner New South Wales Mick Fuller told a daily briefing today.
"Not only did they require assistance from (emergency services) and police to rescue them, they also both received a ticket."
In a statement, police said the men had called for help on Sunday after getting lost in bushland near a remote beach in Royal National Park, a 15,000-hectare (37,000-acre) coastal stretch just south of Sydney that is home to at least one nudist beach.
Emergency crews supported by a police rescue helicopter found a naked 30-year-old man carrying a backpack on a walking track and a 49-year-old who was partially clothed, police added.
The government did not comment on Fuller's Monday disclosure, but some lawmakers joined in a Twitter frenzy that sent the word "deer" trending.
"A good reminder. A Covid health breach results in very deer fines," New South Wales opposition leader Chris Minns said in a post.
Deer are not native to Australia but about 2000 of the southeast Asian Rusa breed live in the park after the animals were introduced a century ago, said volunteer group Friends of the Royal National Park.
- Reuters