The recent National Day holiday saw people lining up at a deer farm in Jiangning district in the city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, for an odd beverage - a cup of fresh deer blood.

Farm workers sawed the antlers off the bodies of young deer, whose horns are provided with blood until they're fully formed, and collected the blood in cups for people to drink. 

Those who partook subscribe to the belief that deer blood helps strengthen the body and promotes good metabolism and longevity.

News of the event aroused strong criticism, many calling the practice crude and unscientific. Many netizens have called for legislation designed to prevent such abuse and for better protection of animal rights.

Nanjing Morning Post