Hokkaido firm turns oil from unwanted wild deer into shampoo

Pet food would be an excellent use for the deer meat, especially considering the generally poor quality of pet food in Japan, especially in cans.

Personally, I'm not going to wash my hair with shampoo MADE from animals when I won't even use ones TESTED on animals.

Surely if they are already dead, then any use of the meat must be better than throwing it away. That is truly wasteful and goes against the laws of nature. If not fit for human consumption, then how about for pet food, or supplies for zoos?

Quote: "In fiscal 2015, crop damage caused by deer totaled 4.3 billion yen ($38.43 million) in Hokkaido. Of 124,000 Ezo deer captured, only 17.6 percent were eligible to be converted to deer meat due to freshness and other quality problems. Cao said he believes other parts of the Ezo deer could also be converted into products for commercial use."

More people in Japan get 0157 from produce and other sources than deer, by far

More people in Japan eat produce than deer, by far.

Some of the animals that can exist in these extreme conditions are deer and wild boar. Albeit, they end up with illness and parasites like leeches, which would not be around if not for the lack of deciduous, complex forests.

What does deciduous forest have to do with leeches? We have leeches here in Hokkaido, and very little cedar reforestation.

A few opportunities here. Classes on field dressing wild animals/inspection of carcase for diseases and parasites.

Or a portable truck/butcher shop to butcher, wrap and freeze the meat. Imagine the fire hoops of bureaucracy on that one?

Wayoutokushin aims to sell more than 30,000 shampoo and other products from deer oil in fiscal 2017 through March next year.

Next thing will be hearing about Fight Clubs sprinting up in Hokkaido.

Also because cedar trees do not produce edible seeds or fruit, and timber companies regularly prune the branches lower than 5m leaving no foliage at ground level.

@Sofia

Hunters describe the phenomenon as "緑の砂漠" (green desert).

I don't know about Hokkaido, but Kyushu, and recently Honshu are having problems with deer and boar because of the cedar issue.

In the 40's, cedar was planted to aid in the war effort, to make houses, etc. Just to give people something to do rather than despair, I guess.

Either way, it has now created a HUGE problem. The climax forests created by cedar do not allow for biodiversity, resulting in increasing imbalances in the ecosystems around Japan. Many of the red letter plants and animals are losing their habitat, not to people, but to cedar, and though many know the problem exists, it has snowballed out of control.

Some of the animals that can exist in these extreme conditions are deer and wild boar. Albeit, they end up with illness and parasites like leeches, which would not be around if not for the lack of deciduous, complex forests. Rather than killing the deer, and trying to find something to do with them, which is just dealing with a symptom of the problem,

how about dealing with the actual problem by finding a good way to cut down, use, and replace the overly abundant cedar with deciduous trees, little by little bringing the ecosystem back into balance?

Most meat from the culled animals, however, cannot be sold as it does not meet standards for human consumption.

Why? They are just like game animals. People hunt and eat them. I had deer meat before and it doesn't taste that much different except it is too chewy. Perhaps minced it and turn it into sausages would be better.

You could probably do the same with Human liquified cremation waste, rather than pouring it down the drain... though I suspect there would be a problem in Marketing it.

Since the extinction of the Japanese wolf, deer, boar, rabbit, coon-dog, badger etc populations are booming. Then there are introduced species like the North American raccoon and Pygmy deer.

The fact that there are so few hunters means that most prefectures suffer billions of yen in crop damage every year.

Culling is a serious issue, for environmental conservation as well. Prefectural governments have recently started to add incentives, and hunting has become a niche hobby for a growing number of young adults.

There are no health problem about deere meat consumption after veterinary inspection. Parásitos and other patogens like E.coli O157 H7, Micobacterium tuberculosis, etc., May be controles to obtain safety meat

I am into game, my family and me hunted a lot.

Boar, Deer, Rabbit, etc.

Just too pricey in Tokyo as you need to go to specialised restaurants.

"All our ancestors etc" was said tongue in cheek guys, no need to rip into mmw. As for J deer or wild boar, I wish some J folks (or gaijin) were into game terrine/pate as much as I am!

E.coli O157:H7, parasites and tapeworm. Harmful unless deer is properly prepared.

More people in Japan get 0157 from produce and other sources than deer, by far. And yet never hear of anyone telling folks to stop eating veggies!

Same counts for any other food.

Back home anyone handling raw produce has to be tested regularly.

Still love me some Yukke/Steak Tartare, etc.

E.coli O157:H7, parasites and tapeworm. Harmful unless deer is properly prepared.

Freshness? Just how much more "fresh" can a live deer be?

"Captured" is almost certainly a euphemism for "killed." Killed dear are fresh, unless they aren't.

 The only problem is that for commercial use the meat must be processed in a licensed facility and inspected by licensed inspectors. And meat sold for human consumption must come from animals which are inspected before they are killed. Japan loves it's bureaucracy, and tends to suppress activity which lies outside of it.

THIS hits the nail on the head here! Down here in Okinawa there used to be a time when people butchered their own farm animals that they took to market and sold, yeah it was a different time, but now they, by law, have to be processed through the local meat processing facility.

Be kind of hard to capture the deer and take it to the facility for butchering and processing, along with testing.

The problem is more to do with human depopulation in these areas, and ever fewer hunters. Deer hunting is not an uncommon practice in Japan, but is is becoming much less common than it once was. Nowadays, the old farts who still hunt are as likely to bag another hunter as they are a deer.

The deer meat is not unfit for human consumption. The only problem is that for commercial use the meat must be processed in a licensed facility and inspected by licensed inspectors. And meat sold for human consumption must come from animals which are inspected before they are killed. Japan loves it's bureaucracy, and tends to suppress activity which lies outside of it.

Personally, I think deer and other animals living in nature are probably safer for consumption than commercial livestock, which are full of hormones and antibiotics, and are fed great amounts of sugar (corn) and protein to get them as fat as possible, as quickly as possible.

About the meat freshness, I can see possible issues with duration from kill to refrigeration, contamination from organ fluids, improper butchering technique, etc. However, the main problem with selling game meats to the public is a lack of consistency in supply and quality. With the meat industry streamlined to maximum efficiency, game meat will always be for niche aficionados and sustenance hunters.

I know a few hunters who cull deer and boar for the Chiba environmental agency. They sell the prime cuts to local cuisine restaurants and keep the rest for personal consumption/friends/family and dogs. The prefecture also pays a bounty for each deer or boar killed (10,000~20,000 yen)BBQs with those guys are always great.

Mate, did you forget your thinking cap this morning? Yeah, I totally agree it a waste of good meat. I also like venison, but these are not farmed animals. These are wild deer and would be full of worms and other parasites, plus they have been feeding on local crops, which has most likely also given them quite high insecticide contents in their blood. ...

I've killed a number of deer back in the "old" days and those deer fed off the land and farmers in the US. You really need to get out there and shoot one for yourself to know what you are talking about and not just from googling it.

 Or, they could also be 'gut shot' and their stomach contents have bled through their whole body. 

Come on now, this is pulling at straws to make a point. No hunter in their right might gut shoots a deer or any other animal on purpose and anyone with any experience at all will tell you that no one is going to keep a gut shot deer for anything. Let alone dress it down and sell off the meat.

I was in a hunting parting where a guy did gut shoot the deer, then put a bullet in it's head, and we buried the carcass. It happens, but not at the level or number you may be trying to infer here.

And I hope you never take the time to take a good look at the food you eat. There is more of a chance of getting sick from the processed food you eat daily than from a wild deer that has been properly processed.

You can also google up raw fish and you'll get the same DO NOT EAT result. I've hunted, dressed and eaten deer for decades in the US as have most folks I know, and I've eaten the venison in Hokkaido as well. kawabegawa198 is bang on. Others have no idea what they're talking about due to lack of first hand experience.

Just googled wild deer worms and parasites, yeah lets not use this wild meat for anything. If you do the same make sure you haven't eaten lunch.

@kawabagawa - Nonsense. I have been hunting and eating wild deer in Japan for almost ten years. They never have worms or parasites.

Right back at you with the 'nonsense' comment. There are full of worms! All wild animals are. If you've been eating them for ten years and not got sick from them, you are very lucky, not wise.

These are wild deer and would be full of worms and other parasites, plus they have been feeding on local crops, which has most likely also given them quite high insecticide contents in their blood. 

Nonsense. I have been hunting and eating wild deer in Japan for almost ten years. They never have worms or parasites. The meat is excellent quality.

@Yubaru - Freshness? Just how much more "fresh" can a live deer be? "Other" quality problems? Like what exactly?

Mate, did you forget your thinking cap this morning? Yeah, I totally agree it a waste of good meat. I also like venison, but these are not farmed animals. These are wild deer and would be full of worms and other parasites, plus they have been feeding on local crops, which has most likely also given them quite high insecticide contents in their blood. Or, they could also be 'gut shot' and their stomach contents have bled through their whole body. The freshness issue is pretty easy to understand. The are killed far from refrigeration and just left rotting in the sun in the back of the truck. It is a total waste of good food.

unwanted wild deer 

Interesting euphemism for "dead".

If they're going to kill them, they can use the meat for jerky, stews, cured meats, and school lunches. Make it a speciality, like they do with whale and dolphin.

In fiscal 2015, crop damage caused by deer totaled 4.3 billion yen ($38.43 million) in Hokkaido. Of 124,000 Ezo deer captured, only 17.6 percent were eligible to be converted to deer meat due to freshness and other quality problems.

Freshness? Just how much more "fresh" can a live deer be? "Other" quality problems? Like what exactly?

Venison sausage and other venison products are great, I would love to get some down here. Used to be a deer hunter way back when, and loved it, too damn expensive here!

CCant you turn the meat into dog / cat food? Seems such a waste to just throw it away.