Video: What Prompted This Beat Down?
Brace yourself: What you are about to watch is deeply disturbing.
Don’t panic—this was a production. But this gruesome scene is frequently played out in sheep-shearing sheds around the world. PETA’s international exposés of the wool industry in Australia, South America, and the United States have documented how sensitive and frightened sheep are punched in the face, jabbed with sharp clippers, and viciously stomped on and kicked when they struggle while being sheared. The speed with which the shearers work leaves most sheep lacerated, bruised, and bleeding. The untreated wounds can become infected and infested with maggots.
In these shearing sheds, no one intervenes or comes to the rescue. In fact, this abuse is standard operating procedure in the wool industry, where making a profit, not animal welfare, is considered essential.
With plenty of vegan wool options to choose from, including sweater and coat blends composed of animal- and eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, TENCEL®, hemp, acrylic, polyester, modal, rayon, viscose, and cotton—many of which outperform wool—there’s no excuse to spend money on something whose production resulted in animal abuse.
What You Can Do
Check labels and be sure to leave woolen items on the rack. Learn more about chic, quality vegan options here.
