Cloven Hoof

Since the end of the Ice Age, deer, which includes any member of the cervidae family, from European roe deer to Indian sambar, were the early hunter’s principal quarry. Size made them an obvious target and the best return relative to effort expended. There were and still are today, an enormous number of different deer living in the wild worldwide, and more venison, the meat of any of the cervidae, is eaten today than all the other game species put together. To meet consumer demand, an increasing volume of venison is farmed in Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, and North America. The rest comes from the management of wild deer in their natural environment as part of animal welfare practices connected to acceptable stocking rates and to protect forestry and farming; it also brings wild venison into the food chain and provides an essential input to rural economies from sporting tourism.