NOTE: Not all antler velvet products are processed cruelty-free.
Our antler velvet extract is a special proprietary formula. We guarantee that our extract is cruelty-free.
Male stags of the cervid family (elk, deer, reindeer, moose, and caribou) grow antlers every year. They also fall off and then regrow every year, year after year. There is one purpose for the antlers, and that is to use as a fighting weapon for dominance over other male stags to ‘win’ the honor of copulating with the harem of females.
The ‘losers’ of these violent battles are many times seriously injured and some even die. Removing the antlers months before they would naturally drop off helps prevent these battles from ever occurring.
Our extract comes only from New Zealand, which has the highest and strictest standards in the world for velvetting. It is a huge industry for New Zealand, which is one of the reasons they are so committed to the health and longevity of the stags, including the antler removal process. Healthy, strong, disease-free and injury-free animals aid in the success of their business.
Anyone who has been to New Zealand understands the prominence of the natural, healthy lifestyle that permeates their society on all levels. This culture of natural health and harmony with nature extends to the velvetting industry.
When the antlers are removed, a licensed and specially trained veterinarian does the procedure, under the watchful eye of animal rights and welfare activists. The National Velvetting Standards Body of New Zealand has a very strict code of practice that makes sure the stags are not harmed in any way and the entire procedure is accomplished quickly, painlessly, and with optimal sanitary conditions.
This code was developed by animal welfare organizations in conjunction with the New Zealand Veterinarian Association.
Once the antlers have been removed, the stags are immediately released into open range areas free from stags with antlers, for their safety.
No New Zealand red deer are killed or harmed in the velvet collecting process in which we get our special proprietary extract.
Blake Sawyer, the founder and CEO of our company, as well as the one who developed and formulated Royal Velvet PURE, has not eaten a 4-legged animal in over 40 years. He equates using antler velvet with wearing wool clothing. Sheep continue to grow wool, year after year. Using that wool as a source of clothing benefits humans. Taking good care of the sheep due to its human benefits is a natural thing. The deer stags grow antlers, year after year. Taking good care of the stags is a natural thing, as they benefit us in ways that no other living creature, animal or plant, anywhere in the world, can.