China raises deer to a great success

Author: Zhao Shizhen
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Publishing Date: 2001-03-01
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Fragment: In 1950, Xifeng, Liaoning Province, established a state-owned deer farm—Zhenxing Deer Farm, with only 75 deer. In 1952, Jilin Province established over a dozen state-owned deer farms in cities like Jilin, Huinan, Dongfeng, Liaoyuan, Shuangyang, and Yitong, with 1,900 deer, an annual antler yield of 350 kg, and an average single yield of 0.35 kg. Subsequently, Hebei, Shanxi, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia began deer farming. Mainly raised Sika deer, elk, white-lipped deer, and water deer, and the deer farming industry flourished. (II) Current Status of China's Deer Farming Industry In the more than 40 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the deer farming industry has developed comprehensively from small to large. It has made certain contributions to China's pharmaceutical, food industry, and export exchange. Now, there are approximately tens of thousands of state-owned, collective, and individual deer farms across the country. Large deer farms have a stock of 2,500 to 3,000 deer, while small deer farms have a stock of a dozen to hundreds of deer. Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Beijing, and Tianjin provinces mainly raise Sika deer; Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai regions mainly raise elk, while Qinghai and Gansu also raise some white-lipped deer. Yunnan, Guangxi, and Taiwan regions raise water deer and Sika deer. The total number reaches 400,000 deer, with an annual antler yield of about 100 tons. The single yield of finished antlers varies greatly across regions. In Jilin and Liaoning Xifeng, the highest single yield of Sika deer antlers reaches 1.2 to 1.3 kg or more, while the single yield of elk antlers reaches 2.5 to 3 kg. However, in some areas, the single yield of Sika deer antlers is less than 0.65 kg, and the single yield of elk antlers is still less than 1.0 kg. Production levels vary across regions, with great potential for development. The development of China's deer farming industry can be roughly divided into three stages. The 1950s and 1960s were the major development stage of deer farming. Across the country, many regions introduced breeding deer from Jilin and Liaoning. The price of Sika deer breeding stock was as high as 20,000 yuan per head. Later, the interior introduced Tian Shan elk from Xinjiang. Due to emphasis on deer reproduction, birth rates and survival rates were very high. Dongfeng County, Jilin Province, Zhenxing Deer Farm had a birth rate of 100% or higher for consecutive years, with the number of deer raised increasing by hundreds of times compared to the early years of the founding of the PRC, reaching a total of 200,000 deer nationwide. The 1970s were the stage of stable improvement in deer farming. In addition to paying attention to deer reproduction, attention was also paid to deer improvement and breed selection to increase antler yield and quality. Deer taming and disease prevention were strengthened, and deer farming technology significantly improved, with production conditions constantly being perfected, achieving remarkable results in both production and research. The 1980s were the stage of renewed development after a brief downturn in deer farming. Due to the impact of New Zealand, the former Soviet Union, and other countries on the international antler market, coupled with neglect of antler quality and other reasons, antlers were unsold from 1981 to 1986, leading to losses in deer farming and the large-scale slaughter of does and newborn fawns, with the number of deer in stock declining sharply. In Heilongjiang Province's agricultural development system alone, the number of deer decreased by 80% from 1981 to 1986. In 1987, the price of antlers rebounded, stimulating enthusiasm for deer farming, especially among individual farmers. In Shuangyang County, Jilin Province, in 1991, 162 households in 52 villages across 13 towns raised over 10,000 deer, accounting for about 65% of the county's total deer population, and the deer farming industry entered an unprecedentedly prosperous situation. Jilin Province has a long history and rich experience in deer farming. There are now 55 specialized state-owned deer farms, 33 mixed deer farms, and nearly 1,000 collective and individual deer farms. The total number of deer raised reaches over 160,000, with an annual antler yield of over 40 tons, accounting for 40% of the national total. In Liaoning Province, only in Xifeng County are there 29 deer farms raising over 10,000 deer. The Qingyuan Ginseng and Antler Farm, Chaoyang Forest Farm in Xinbin County, and Jiahuo Breeding Farm all raised Tian Shan elk introduced from Xinjiang, with the highest fresh antler yield reaching 8.5 kg, surpassing that of the former Soviet Union's Shebarin Deer Farm (8.0 kg), and exporting a large number of breeding deer to Northeast provinces, effectively promoting deer breed improvement and antler yield. Heilongjiang Province began deer farming in 1956, although starting later, it developed rapidly. In 1982, there were 340 deer farms with a total of 84,000 deer, including 17,000 elk, becoming an important export base for elk antlers. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which is rich in Tian Shan elk, Tarim elk, and Altai elk, began deer farming in the 1960s. There are over 200 large state-owned deer farms and construction corps deer farms, as well as small collective and individual deer farms, mainly raising elk, with a total of 30,000 deer and an annual antler yield of 15 tons. Xinjiang elk antlers are large and tender, and are highly favored by the international market. Inner Mongolia's deer farming industry has developed rapidly. The Wulanba and Shiganigou Forest Farms in Chifeng City's Balin Left Banner raise nearly 1,500 elk, making it the center of deer farming in Inner Mongolia. Shanxi Province began deer farming in 1957 and now has dozens of deer farms raising over 7,000 deer, including over 1,000 deer raised by Shanxi Pharmaceutical Cultivation Farm. The Qilian Deer Farm in Qinghai Province, established in 1965, raises over 700 white-lipped deer, Sika deer, and elk. Deer farming has also seen significant development in Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin. Beijing Pharmaceutical Company's Changping Deer Farm raises over 800 deer. Tianjin's Sixth Traditional Chinese Medicine Factory's Emerging Breeding Farm raises over 900 Sika deer and Sika deer, strongly supporting the development of the local pharmaceutical industry. While deer farming in southern China is less developed than in the north, after years of north-to-south breeding and taming, it has achieved success and development in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Shanghai. Sichuan Province's Guan County Deer Farm raises over 1,000 deer. Yunnan Province's Tengchong Deer Farm and Yingjiang Deer Farm raise over 800 water deer and Sika deer. Tibet and Hainan began deer farming in the late 1970s, and due to high profits, the number of deer farms (stations) has continuously increased. Taiwan's Sika deer are a subspecies of the Sika deer, but unfortunately, they are now extinct. Taiwan Province began raising water deer and Sika deer in the 1970s, all raised by individual farmers. Farmers in Kaohsiung City have raised over 3,000 Sika deer. In summary, the length of time, scale, and scope of China's deer farming development are unprecedented. Today, agriculture, forestry, agricultural development, animal husbandry, medical and health, commerce, foreign trade, government agencies, factories, mines, military units, and schools have all engaged in deer farming, forming a new pattern of state-owned, collective, and individual deer farming development. (III) Achievements and Problems of China's Deer Farming Industry China's deer farming industry has made great achievements. Whether in scientific research or production management, significant progress has been made in deer ecology, physiology, genetics, reproduction, feed, breeding, antler and its product processing and utilization, and deer disease prevention, with some areas reaching world-class standards, making important contributions to both China and the world's deer farming industry. For example, Lin Zhifan (1986), Xie Chengxia (1986), and Liu Duyuan (1987) conducted research on deer resource utilization, deer farming history, and biology from an archaeological perspective. Li Huazhi et al. (1979) studied Northeast Sika deer and divided them into five type groups—Shuangyang, Yitong, Dongfeng, Longtanshan, and Fusong—based on their appearance and productivity. Subsequently, research was conducted on Sika deer, elk, white-lipped deer, water deer, sambar deer, reindeer, moose, goat-antelope, and roe deer from ecological, reproductive, and domestication perspectives, resulting in a series of valuable papers that provided reliable data for deer domestication and product utilization. Research on deer physiology has achieved encouraging results, with blood physiology advancing rapidly. Blood routine, biochemical indicators, protein polymorphism, fibrinogen determination, and blood protein electrophoresis of Sika deer and elk have been analyzed and measured, not only filling the gaps in China's deer blood physiology research but also strongly promoting deer domestication, selection, and productivity improvement, while providing a theoretical basis for disease diagnosis and treatment. Research on deer genetics and reproduction has been conducted both theoretically and practically. Wang Zongren et al. (1983) analyzed the karyotype and banding patterns of 14 deer species (subspecies). Yu Xiuzhang et al. (1986) analyzed the chromosomes of Northeast elk, Northeast Sika deer, and their F1 generation, finding that their Ag-NORs number and loci were consistent, and their G-banding and C-banding patterns were also very similar, providing valuable references for deer classification and their evolutionary status. Significant progress has been made in research on deer reproductive performance, quantitative genetics, hybrid deer genetic traits, and sperm cell complex analysis, laying a theoretical foundation for purebred breeding and hybrid breeding of deer. Valuable experience has been accumulated in deer reproduction, leading to the breeding of the Shuangyang Sika deer breed, Changbai Mountain Sika deer line, Xifeng Sika deer breed, and Qingyuan Tian Shan elk line.