Why PETA ‘Sheep’ Was ‘Sheared’ Near Urban Outfitters Store
Today, a PETA supporter dressed as a “bloodied and bruised” sheep was “sheared” in front of Urban Outfitters’ flagship store in Oxford Street. PETA is calling on the brand’s owner, Urban Outfitters Inc – which also owns Anthropologie and Free People – to be true to its stated values of ethics and sustainability, extend its compassion to sheep, and stop selling wool.
Urban Outfitters Inc doesn’t sell fur, exotic skins, or angora – and in 2020, PETA US became a company shareholder in order to push it to adopt additional animal-friendly policies. This protest is part of a Week of Action by PETA entities who will call on the company to add wool to the list of cruelly produced materials banned from their ranges.
Wool Hurts
Every wool garment on Urban Outfitters’ rails is a product of violence, torment, and fear. PETA entities have released dozens of videos revealing that during shearing, workers hit, kick, and mutilate sheep for their wool.
Footage from a PETA Asia investigation into the wool industry in Scotland documented that farmers struck terrified sheep in the face and shearers slammed their heads into floors, stamped and stood on their necks, and threw them off shearing trailers. The video footage prompted the Scottish SPCA to open an investigation and resulted in a farmer pleading guilty to cruelty to animals.
And it’s not just the shearing process that’s cruel. Farmers also use knives, hot irons, or tight clamps to sever parts of the animals’ bodies – often without painkillers. The ears of lambs who are just a few weeks old are hole-punched, and their tails are cut off.
A new PETA Australia website, WoolFacts.com, reveals the truth behind the trade – including cruelty to animals and environmental destruction – and highlights the vegan materials that can replace wool.
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.
Sheep Desperately Need You to Act!
Never buy wool, and help us put pressure on Urban Outfitters. Urge the company to drop wool and sell only animal-friendly vegan fabrics, which it already stocks:
