The Truth about Down, Leather, Wool, & Other Fibers
Down · Fur · Leather · Silk · Wool
- Down,
the very soft feathers from the breasts of geese and ducks, is plucked
from birds slaughtered for food or from forcibly restrained, live animals.
- No matter
how they are removed, feathers normally come from birds who live miserable
lives of confinement inside large warehouses.
- Birds
who undergo live de-feathering may be plucked three to five times during
their short lives.
- After
a tortuous life of being utilized for their feathers or raised for meat
or foie gras, the diseased fatty liver of force-fed birds, ducks and
geese are sent to slaughter after living out only a fraction of their
lives.
- Meant to keep the birds and their eggs warm, down feathers are commonly found in pillows, jackets and, sadly, comforters, for which it may take the feathers of dozens and dozens of birds to fill.
The Alternatives
Instead of putting out major cash for down coats or vests, look for products
made from hypoallergenic synthetic down, down alternative, polyester fill,
or high-tech fabrics, like Primaloft or Polarguard.
- Cows,
chickens and pigs aren't the only animals raised on factory farms. Minks,
foxes, chinchillas, lynxes, and even hamsters used in the fur industry
are typically raised in small, wire cages, lack clean water and proper
nutrition, and suffer from fear, stress, illness, and insanity.
- Resorting
to extreme forms of slaughter in order to keep the pelts in tact, fur
farmers will often gas, poison or electrocute the animals.
- Wild animal trapping is another cruel technique utilized by the industry and, sadly, kills many non-target animals, including dogs, cats and engendered species.
The
Alternatives
Faux fur, made of acrylic, mod-acrylic or polyester fibers, is quite easy
to come by as more and more companies refuse to produce or sell the "real"
thing.
- Contrary
to popular belief, cattle hides are not merely slaughterhouse by-products,
but are valuable meat industry commodities.
- Downed
cattle, animals who are too weak or sick to even stand, are usually
considered unfit for human consumption, but are often kept alive, without
food, water or veterinary care, because their hides are still profitable.
- Calves, lambs and other young animals are often purposely slaughtered for "higher quality" leather products, and pigs, horses and even more exotic animals like alligators, kangaroos, seals, elephants and zebras are killed for their skins.
The
Alternatives
Instead of buying leather clothing, fashion accessories or footwear, look
for goods made with microfiber, pleather, imitation leather, artificial
leather, PU or PVC leather, or all man-made materials. Alternatively,
you can also opt for products made of cotton, linen, rubber, ramie, canvas,
Chlorenol, and other synthetics.
- Silk comes
from the caterpillars of the silk moth, who protect themselves by spinning
silk strands to form a cocoon.
- Each worm may produce up to a mile and half of continuous thread. To retain an unbroken thread of silk, moths are commonly boiled, baked or steamed alive when they are ready to emerge.
The
Alternatives
Many common fibers simulate the look and feel of silk, including nylon,
polyester, Tencel, milkweed seed-pod fibers, silk-cotton tree filaments,
and rayon.
Angora
Angora rabbits are often kept in cramped cages for their entire eight-year lifespan.
- Males only generate 75 percent of the wool females produce; consequently, most are killed at birth because they are not as "profitable."
- The females typically endure lives of loneliness and boredom and suffer from painful bone deformities and other ailments caused by severe confinement.
Goats raised for cashmere are typically reared in filthy, crowded conditions.
- Shorn months prior to their natural shedding time, the goats are often exposed to cold temperatures and become more susceptible to illness.
- Goats are often ear notched, de-horned and castrated without anesthesia and sold for meat after their first fiber harvest.
- While a growing number of goats are being used for milk and meat in the United States, the majority are still used for mohair.
- Intolerably sensitive to the cold and parasites, the goats often suffer from chills after their fleece is removed.
- Like other animals used for fiber production, these goats are commonly sold for slaughter when they are no longer considered profitable.
Sheep have been purposely bred to produce excessive wool. As a result of having an abnormal amount of wool, many sheep suffer from fly infestations, skin sores and wool parasites.
- During shearing, the majority of these animals are handled roughly and their fleece is removed as quickly as possible. Injuries are common and shearers frequently cut into the flesh of terrified sheep.
- Lambs typically suffer from painful mutilations, such as tail docking and castration, without anesthesia. Sheep may also undergo mulesing, a painful process by which a four by six-inch piece of skin is cut from their tails and backside.
- When the sheep are no longer producing prime wool, they are commonly transported to slaughterhouses in overcrowded trucks. Many sheep become "downers" and are left to suffer and die slowly from neglect.
- Australia, the largest wool producer, sends many of its "spent" sheep on a long, tortuous journey by ship to the Middle East where they are sold and slaughtered.
- Felt, or compressed wool, is also a product of the cruel wool industry.
The
Alternatives
Instead of shopping for heavy, itchy wool socks and mittens or expensive
angora or cashmere sweaters, choose garments made with more light-weight
and colorfast materials, such as nylon, acrylic, orlon, polyester fleece,
cotton flannel, synthetic shearling, Tencel, or Polartec Wind Pro.
