Giant Plucked ‘Goose’ to London Pillow Fighters: Down Hurts!
Can you imagine your childhood Friday night sleepovers without pillow fights? We can’t! It would be like a childhood without Nickelodeon, Mario Bros or Space Raiders. Pillow fights are a lot of fun, but unfortunately, when it comes to down-stuffed pillows, it’s no fun for the birds abused in the violent down industry.
This afternoon, a massive pillow fight took place in Trafalgar Square to mark International Pillow Fight Day. PETA members joined in on the fun and raised awareness of the cruelty involved in obtaining the feathers inside many pillows. A volunteer in a giant plucked-goose costume even urged Londoners to go feather-free!
What a meanie! #pillowfightday #PETA pic.twitter.com/VraSiAuBWJ
— Elisa Allen (@Elisa_Allen) April 4, 2015
With all the warm and cosy options available, compassionate people can sleep easy on pillows and under duvets that don’t come from mutilated geese and ducks.
Birds used for down are tightly restrained as feathers are violently yanked from their bodies, often resulting in gaping wounds. The down industry also supports the production of foie gras – which is made by forcing tubes down the throats of geese and ducks and pumping grain into their stomachs until their livers become enlarged and diseased – as the feathers of many of the birds on foie gras farms are sold for down.
How You Can Help
It’s easy to go down-free and to encourage others to switch to modern, feather-free alternatives, which are not only cruelty-free and more eco-friendly but also high-quality, machine washable and dryable and resistant to dust mites, odours and bacteria.
Please also share this information on Facebook and Twitter with everyone you know so that they, too, can make the compassionate choice to be down-free.
