Wool Kills Sheep – Urban Outfitters Have Blood on Their Hands
Flocking to the Urban Outfitters store in London, “bloody” and “bruised” PETA “sheep” had an important message for shoppers in the autumn weather: “Urban Outfitters: Sheep Suffer, Ditch Wool.”
What’s Wrong With Wool?
PETA entities have released dozens of videos documenting cruelty to sheep at 117 wool-industry facilities around the world. Watch the 14 video exposés here.
In England, workers kicked, punched, and stamped on sheep’s heads, jabbing them in the face with sharp metal clippers and leaving huge gashes on their bodies that were later crudely sewn up with a needle and thread – with no painkillers
And it’s not just the shearing process that’s cruel. Also often without painkillers, farmers use knives, hot irons, or tight clamps to sever parts of the animals’ bodies. The ears of lambs who are just a few weeks old are hole-punched, and their tails are cut off.
Designers and stores that use wool in their clothing lines have blood on their hands.
It’s NOT a Haircut for Sheep
Sheep “need” shearing only because the wool industry breeds them to grow an unnaturally heavy coat. Native breeds are able to regulate their body temperature without human interference and will naturally shed their hair when the weather gets warmer.
The shearing process is usually a violent and terrifying experience for sheep. Shearers are paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast, rough handling that leaves gaping wounds on the animals’ bodies.
All wool – no matter where it originates or what “ethical” or “responsibly sourced” claims are made on its label – spells extreme suffering and a terrifying death for millions of sheep and lambs.
Don’t Have the Wool Pulled Over Your Eyes
Any material that’s taken from its animal owner is a product of fear and trauma.
PETA entities have released dozens of videos revealing that workers hit, kick, and mutilate sheep for their wool and alpacas for their fleece during shearing. Goats, too, are left with bloody, gaping wounds at mohair and cashmere operations. The leather industry burns, electroshocks, beats, and slaughters cows. Geese’s feathers are yanked out by the fistful for down. And don’t forget silk – silkworms are boiled alive to produce it.
What Can You Do?
Urban Outfitters brands want to reach progressive young people with their designs – but selling the skin, hair, and feathers of tormented animals will get them nowhere. We’re calling on Urban Outfitters to be true to its commitment to sustainability and ethical standards by selling only animal-friendly vegan fabrics, which it already stocks. Will you join us?
