Vegan protesters return to restaurant where owner cut, ate deer meat in front of them

Vegan activistsreturned toa Toronto restaurant on Saturday to protest the killing of animals after theownercarved up a deer leg more than a week ago and ate it in front of them.

The first protest and responsesparked international attention.

ActivistMarni Ugar said Saturday she has heard from bothsupporters and detractors around the world since owner Michael Hunter "taunted" the protesters on March 23.

"We've been getting a lot of support, but also anger from a lot of people all over the world," Ugar said.

"The owner of the restaurant is a hunter, so we certainly have the pro-gun Americans really angry at us, and anger because people get defensive if they think they are being attacked about eating animals."

Saturday's protest was reportedlythe fifth outside Antler Kitchen & Bar, a restaurant that serves local and seasonal food. The menu includesvenison, wild boar, duck and rabbit.

"No animal wants to be killed and eaten," the group says on its Facebook page called "Antler Outreach."

Ugar saidshe chose to protest Antler because the restaurant was in her neighbourhood. She also saidshe protested because she wants to debunk the myth about humane meat.

"Animals don't care that they are being served in a small restaurant," she said. "That's their life, not ours to take."

The group saidits protestsare aimed attrying to get local restaurants to add vegan options to their menus.

'A mix of emotions'

Activist Len Goldberg, who attended the protest on Friday,toldCBCToronto earlier this week that his fellow activists felt sadness and outrage over the leg being "desecratedand defiled."

"There's a mix of emotions when you see the leg of an innocentbeing carved up in front of you to taunt you," Goldberg said. "There's a lot of sorrow when you see that because weknow that leg belonged to a being.

"We're there with positive messaging," he said, addingthat's why he was so shocked at the owner's actions.

Hunter did not respond to repeated requests by CBCTorontofor an interview.

Police saidthey were called to the protest and arrived around 8:30 p.m. on March 23.

Const. David Hopkinson, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, said officerswere there to "keep the peace."

No arrests were made.

Goldberg said he saw police enter the restaurant and speak to Hunter for a few minutes, after which the chef stopped carving the deer leg.

Police alsoreturned the next day.

Protests have sparked progress, activistsays

Goldberg said he believes progress has been made through the protests, saying he observed seven new vegan or vegetarian items added to the menu after the second or third protest.

But he said the meat-carving was a step back.

"Progress was being achieved, but he decided to escalate this in an unusual way," Goldberg said.

Goldberg said his group would "love to sit down and talk" with Hunter to discuss how he could work vegan dishes onto his menu without disrupting his business.

"We're there to encourage the inevitable, which is a transition that is happening to the world from consuming animals ...to doing what's healthy for people, respectful of animals," he said.

"We can't protest McDonald's they would laugh."