Tarim Reclamation Area Deer Antler

Tarim Reclamation Area Deer Antler

The Tarim Reclamation Area Deer Antler is a product with geographical indication status.

　　The Tarim red deer is one of the three subspecies of the Xinjiang red deer. It is the only subspecies that inhabits desert regions and is considered a treasure of the Tarim Basin. The natural ecological environment of the Tarim Basin is harsh, characterized by large diurnal temperature variations, scarce rainfall, arid conditions, extreme heat, and strong winds. These factors have contributed to the Tarim red deer’s compact and small build, as well as its resilience to drought, intense heat, and saline-alkali coarse forage, early sexual maturity, strong reproductive capacity, high antler yield, and many unique external quality traits such as elegant, thick, tender, plump, and well-rounded antlers. Additionally, due to the Tarim red deer’s coarse diet and frequent consumption of highly mineralized water, along with a primary diet of halophytic herbaceous plants, their antlers are rich in various amino acids and trace elements such as phosphorus, iron, and manganese. The Second Division’s Tarim Reclamation Area is the original habitat and the largest and earliest site of artificial domestication for the Tarim red deer. Its breeding base has been approved by the National Standardization Management Committee as a “Tarim Red Deer Standardization Demonstration Zone.” The antlers and related products produced here are sold to major cities across China and exported to international markets such as South Korea and Japan.

　　The Tarim Reclamation Area Deer Antler is a specialty of Tarim Township in the Tarim Reclamation Area of Yuli County, Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. It is a nationally protected product with geographical indication status.

　　The Tarim Reclamation Area is the largest domestic breeding and domestication base for Tarim River red deer and is part of the national project for efficient and distinctive agricultural demonstration zones. In recent years, various regiments within the Tarim Reclamation Area have carried out research and promotion of technologies such as red deer selective breeding, reproduction (artificial insemination, embryo transfer), twin fawn production, and hybridization between red deer and fallow deer to improve antler quality and yield. They have successively set domestic records for female deer reproduction rates and single antler yields. Currently, the Second Division has over 10,000 red deer, and the red deer farming industry has developed into a large-scale, industrialized, base-oriented, and high-quality production system. In 2013, the total fresh antler yield is expected to exceed 30 tons.

　　In 2013, the “Tarim Reclamation Area Deer Antler,” applied for by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Workstation of the Second Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, leading to its implementation under the national agricultural product geographical indication registration and protection program.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The main producing area of the Tarim Reclamation Area Deer Antler is located within the Second Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, distributed across eight counties and one city in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. The geographic coordinates are: longitude 85°24′ to 88°30′, latitude 39°30′ to 40°20′. The designated protected area includes 15,000 red deer bred across the 21st, 29th, 30th, 31st, 33rd, 34th, and 36th Regiments of the Second Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, yielding an annual production of 20 tons of deer antler.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: The antler saw-cut cross-section is an irregular circle, with clearly defined layers including the skin layer, interstitial layer, and marrow layer. The main antler shaft is upright, round, thick, full, tender, and upward-growing, with a flat, rounded top resembling an ingot. The diameter changes uniformly and smoothly, with moderate length and distinct curvature. Near the branching point at the base, it is slightly flattened. There are typically 2–3 typical lateral branches on the same side as the main shaft. The lateral branches curve in the same direction as the main shaft. The brow tine (first branch) and ice tine (second branch) are close to each other, growing near the base of the antler, while the middle tine (third branch) grows in the midsection of the main shaft. The lateral branches are full, tender, upward-growing, and rounded at the tip. The antlers are grayish-white in color, covered with soft, fine, and dense downy fur. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: The total amino acid content in the antler is 44.73%, including 5.64% glutamic acid, 5.98% glycine, 4.18% proline, and 3.37% arginine. The trace element phosphorus content is 3.3×10⁴ mg/kg, and iron content is 346 mg/kg. (3) Product Quality and Safety Standards: During production and processing, strict adherence is made to non-polluting livestock product quality system requirements. The production environment meets the NY/T388-1999 Livestock Farm Environmental Quality Standards, and the product quality complies with the DB65/T2725-2007 Tarim Red Deer Antler Product Standards.