Vegan Life Magazine, the UKs most popular vegan lifestyle mag recently voted Best Vegan Magazine at Vegfest Awards, is petitioning against the harvesting of blood and antlers from reindeer in Russia to raise awareness for this relatively unknown animal welfare issue.
The ancient tradition of harvesting blood from reindeer is astonishingly cruel, yet something that many are unaware of.
The reindeer are herded into a cutting chamber where a press closes in around them whilst the floor lowers, so that the reindeer is left in suspension. Its head is rested on a ledge and men stand on the deer’s back and head whilst they remove the antlers. Reindeer antlers are covered in blood vessels and nerves and it appears that the reindeer do feel pain during the procedure. Studies have found an increase in heart rate, struggling and reduction in appetite following harvesting. Furthermore, there are reports that the deer scream during the procedure.
Read the whole article on Blood Harvesting on Vegan Life here.
