Zoo cuts off deer's antlers to prevent fights

A safari park in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has removed the antlers of many male sika deer, claiming that such measures prevent adult deer from hurting each other. [Photo/cnwest.com]

A safari park in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has removed the antlers of many male sika deer, claiming that such measures prevent adult deer from hurting each other, cnwest.com reported on Monday.

Shen Guancheng, senior veterinarian at the Qinling Safari Park, said that the deer become aggressive during their autumn mating season. The adult male deer use their antlers to fight each other for mating rights. "Injuries would be serious when they got hurt, as the tops of their antlers are very solid and sharp," Shen said.

Besides deer, there are 46 other species of herbivores in the cage-free area of the park, according to cnwest.com. They are absolutely vulnerable to the deer's attack, it said.

In traditional Chinese medicine, deer antler velvet is highly valued for its medicinal properties -- it is used to make a tonic to improve bone health and nourish the blood. "We usually cut off the deer's antlers in August every year when most of the antler velvet has become calcified or ossified, which has few values for medicinal uses," Shen explained.

A staff member with the park said that some of the antlers that have been removed from the deer will be made into specimens for park promotion and science education.