Exotic Skins Belong in the Jungle—Not in Your Closet

She may be "Queen of the Jungle," but the only "exotic skin" Gena Lee Nolin wears is her own. The star of the hit syndicated series Sheena recently shed her clothes—all of them—and slithered into some python-inspired body paint, to urge folks to shed their skins.

"Snakes are nailed to a tree and skinned alive, crocs and 'gators are bound and beaten to death with baseball bats," says Gena. "Even if snakes or crocodiles aren't cute and cuddly, it isn't right to cause them needless pain and fear."

Every snakeskin bag, shoe, or jacket sold in a trendy boutique comes with a high price—and it's paid by animals who are ripped from their jungle homes and cruelly killed. Lizards, pythons, and other reptiles aren't usually rendered unconscious before they are skinned alive in Asia, Africa, and South America. They can suffer for hours, or even days, until they die.

or

Our passion for python should be a tribute to these animals—not a death sentence. To emulate the look of exotic animals' skin, try one of today's hot fakes, such as pleather, which designer Ty Bowers calls "the wild kingdom of synthetic fabrics." Stella McCartney won the title of "Vogue/VH-1 Fashion Designer of the Year" without hurting a single animal, and designer Todd Oldham says he has a synthetic for every real skin.

"This is the year of the snake," adds Gena. "Let's celebrate—by not killing them or their friends."

Order PETA's Free Nonleather Shopping Guide