Nara’s deer lose their antlers

あーいえばこーいう
バカじゃねーの

what if the chicken you ate last night didn’t want to be eaten?

what if the countless animals that used to lived on the land that is now your house/office/ didn’t want to be driven away?

have too much respect for those poor animals and don’t want to trespass into their territory against nature’s will? here’s a simple solution:
surrender all privileges of human civilization and go live naked in the jungle. then you can rant all you want without being a total hypocrite. too bad the rest of us disrespectful environment-polluting habitat-destroying animal-killing pests of the earth wouldn’t be able to hear you, since you won’t be wasting precious recourses on pointless net surfing like us.

羊の毛刈るのと大差ないんとちがう？

Yeah, we should be allowed to carry guns and knives to protect ourselves:that will make us look more civilized.

Let me guess… You Australian?

I heard their antlers are not dead tissue all along, but it consists of living tissue with blood supply from capillary vessel under the skin while it grows. The antler gradually become “dead”; ossification occurs from the inside of the antler, then blood supply stops and the skin is peeled off. Deer’s antlers in this “dead” state is what we usually call deer’s antlers. Their antlers seem to exist for fighting with other males in rutting season to gain females to copulate. Male deers sometimes try to get rid of their antlers by rubbing it against a tree. They usually lose their antlers in early spring naturally.

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Information from “Suzaku, the Society of Nara Voluntary Sightseeing Guides“:

The Origin

It is said that since there were many incidents that townsmen had suffered damage from deers and deers had butted each other until they were injured or dead, 興福寺 [Koufukuji temple], the administrator of deers at that time, started to cut off antlers under recognition of Nara-Bugyou [the magistrate of Nara] in 1671. Since 1928, this event evolved into the current format, a special place for cutting off antlers was prepared, then it became an anual event.

Tempting Information

Removed antlers of deers are sold at the office of “Foundation for the Protection of Deer in Nara Park” in “鹿苑” [Roku-En, Deer garden]. They are sold in price ranging from about 1,100 yen for smaller one to 200,000-300,000 yen for magnificent one. It is said that they are very well-received as a souvenir or a memento.