英国一家连锁超市最近开始出售驯鹿肉，此举引起动物保护组织的抗议，称其破坏了圣诞节魔力，同时也剥夺了野生动物的生存权。

A supermarket chain was under fire on Monday for selling reindeer¹（驯鹿） meat in its British stores in the run-up to Christmas.

German discount chain Lidl is selling frozen Siberian reindeer leg steaks at six pounds (9.60 dollars, seven euros) for a 350-gramme pack as part of its deluxe²（高级的，豪华的） range.

Reindeer are traditionally associated with the festive³ season -- the story going that Father Christmas travels around the world delivering presents on a sleigh（雪橇） pulled by a team of flying reindeer.

Animal rights campaigners blasted Lidl, which defended its decision to sell the unusual meat by saying the reindeer had been well treated.

"Lidl is destroying the magic of Christmas by selling dead reindeer," said Justin Kerswell, the campaigns manager for Vegetarians⁴ International Voice for Animals.

"What they term 'luxury cuisine⁵（烹饪） ' belies⁶ the truth behind an industry that exists to exploit wild animals," he told trade magazine The Grocer.

Siberian reindeer were often herded⁷ by snowmobiles and in some cases by helicopters and motorbikes, Kerswell said.

"This and lassoing（套索） them cause huge stress. They can become so distraught（发狂的，心烦意乱的） their muscle can waste away."

People for the Ethical⁸ Treatment of Animals said: "The idea of 'Rudolph' being slaughtered⁹ and sliced into steaks for a novelty Christmas dinner is revolting（叛乱的） .

"Christmas is supposed to remind us of peace and goodwill¹⁰ -- and the rest of the animal kingdom could do with a taste of it, rather than being tasted."

Lidl, which has more than 530 stores in Britain, said the reindeer were fed on "local aromatic¹¹（芬芳的） herbs and grass.

"They live in their natural habitat and have plenty of space to move around," a spokeswoman said.

The supermarket is also selling pheasant（野鸡） , venison（鹿肉，野味） and springbok（跳羚） in the Christmas build-up.