Deer

Deer

　　Deer are a beloved species of wild mammal belonging to the ruminant family. There are over forty species of deer in the world, with more than twenty found in China. They are widely distributed, but the largest populations are in regions such as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and the Northeast. The forests around Jingpo Lake are mainly home to the precious Sika deer.

The forested area of Jingpo Lake features undulating mountains and oak forests, with abundant water sources and rich forage, making it a natural pasture. In addition to wild deer, some forestry farms, farms, and rural areas also have deer farms.

The Sika deer is an elegant and gentle animal, covered in bright reddish-brown short fur with white spots resembling plum blossoms on both sides of its body. Female deer weigh about seventy kilograms and stand around ninety centimeters tall, and they do not have antlers. Male deer weigh about one hundred and twenty kilograms and stand around one meter tall, with large, branching antlers that grow symmetrically on either side of their heads. Deer are timid and easily startled, and they run extremely fast, earning them the nickname "grassland flyers."

Since ancient times, there has been a saying in China that "every part of the deer is a treasure." The primary purpose of raising deer is to harvest deer antlers. Deer antlers are a valuable medicinal ingredient and, along with ginseng and sable fur, are known as the "Three Treasures of the Northeast."

Antlers are the secondary sexual characteristic of male deer. Male deer begin to grow antlers between their thirteenth and fourteenth months of life. Every March and April, they shed the old keratinized antler plates, and then gradually develop a pair of tender new antlers. These unossified antlers are the famous deer antlers.

Deer antlers consist of the root, main beam, and several lateral branches. Their outer skin is covered with a layer of fibrous velvet, smooth and soft like velvet; the interior is made up of connective and cartilaginous tissues, with blood vessels and nerves, appearing flesh-red or sometimes apricot-yellow, resembling a cluster of translucent, beautiful coral. Starting from the Qingming Festival each year, after about two months, the first crop of antlers can be sawn off. The harvested antlers are processed through boiling and frying to become the valuable deer antler product.

Deer antler has been used in medicine in China for over two thousand years. Medical texts record that deer antler has the functions of "nourishing yin and blood, replenishing essence, and strengthening yang." Medical practice has proven that deer antler is rich in protein, vitamins, calcium, magnesium, hormones, and more. It helps promote saliva production, nourish marrow, boost qi, and support yang; it can also aid human development. Additionally, it can treat fatigue-related weakness, dim vision, and women’s health issues. Processed deer antler extract contains a large amount of hormones and phosphorus compounds, which can treat heart disease, low blood pressure, chronic arthritis, and severe suppurative wounds.

In addition, deer blood, deer horn, deer heart, deer tendon, deer tail, deer penis, and deer placenta all have high medicinal value and are considered precious tonics for strengthening the body. Deer meat is high in protein and low in fat, making it a premium food product; deer hide is also used to make high-end leather. Every part of the deer is valuable, giving it extremely high economic worth.