Deer Breeders and North American Reindeer

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alan_Stables]Alan Stables
About half of the world's farmed deer population comes from deer breeders in New Zealand; these breeders primarily raise a species of deer known as red deer. Deer breeders in North America focus on raising deer species that are native to North America, especially breeding whitetail deer and elk, also called wapiti. The northern areas of North America above the U.S.-Canadian border are home to huge migrating herds of caribou. Caribou are a subspecies of reindeer that is unique to North America.
Reindeer from the northern areas of Europe and Russia were brought to the north regions of North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s with the idea of expanding deer farming opportunities. In fact, reindeer farming has been around since the ninth century among the resident population of northern Europe and Asia where reindeer lived. The first imported reindeer came to Alaska from Siberia beginning in 1891. In 1908 Scandinavian reindeer were shipped to Newfoundland and cared for by deer farmers from Lapland. After the Laplanders returned home the reindeer population they had introduced roamed free. Through overlapping migration patterns, reindeer from Alaska bred with reindeer from Newfoundland, producing a new subspecies of deer, the caribou. All North American reindeer are caribou.
In their original home territory reindeer continue to be a staple source of meat and milk. In some remote areas, native people continue to maintain a lifestyle that relies on reindeer for food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Meanwhile, deer breeders in Russia cultivate huge reindeer herds, some in excess of 12,000 head. These animals provide a major source of meat for the local population. This is in contrast to New Zealand where most deer meat, called venison, is raised for export. In Russia these enormous herds free-range in the vast expanses of the remote areas. Reindeer are harvested in the field under the watchful eye of inspectors who assure quality standards are met.
Russian researchers have demonstrated the therapeutic value of deer velvet for a variety of human health concerns and deer velvet is regularly used for treating these conditions. Male deer grow antlers which are shed annually. When the new antlers regrow they are covered with a fuzzy layer of skin called deer velvet which is harvested and processed for human use. Deer breeders can harvest twice as much deer velvet as from reindeer and caribou because, in contrast to other deer species, both males and females grow antlers.
Alan B. Stables is a freelance writer on alternative agriculture, has organized alternative agriculture events and has also been a guest speaker in Brazil, China, Egypt, Italy, Latvia and Spain, on how to market agricultural produce for maximum returns.
His writing includes topics such as [http://www.ealpacafarming.com/]alpaca farming, [http://www.deerfarming.org/]deer farming and other alternative farming species.
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