Is deer a really pure herbivore?

This is a strange phenomenon that I observed during a safari in Bandhavgarh. A stag was eating (or chewing) an antler. A behavior that is not expected from a herbivorous animal like spotted deer.


Some reasons that can be thought and my response


Our guide and the driver said that they were seeing such a thing for the first time. Bit surprised as they would have spent most of their life in jungles. They had seen a tiger eating grass but not a deer eating the antler.

I am no expert in these matters. Can anyone throw some light on the strange case of this spotted deer?

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