‘Wool Hurts’: PETA Supporters Cradle Shorn ‘Sheep’ in Wool Protest
Today, three “beaten” and “bruised” PETA supporters descended on Buchanan Street in Glasgow’s busy shopping district holding shorn “sheep” and signs proclaiming, “Scottish Wool: Sheep Kicked and Beaten” and “Wool Hurts.”
The protest came in the wake of a shocking PETA Asia eyewitness investigation of the Scottish wool industry, which documented that workers struck terrified sheep in the face with electric clippers, slammed their heads into the floor, beat and kicked them, and threw them off shearing trailers.
The video footage highlights just some of the cruelty observed on 24 sheep farms toured by workers from a shearing contractor earlier this year. Shearers are paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast, violent handling that leaves gaping wounds on the animals’ bodies, which they stitched up using a needle and thread but no pain relief. One of the sheep was suffering from mastitis and couldn’t stand up, and a worker explained that she was going to be shot.
© PETA Asia
Sheep are gentle prey animals who are petrified of even being held down, yet they endure vicious beatings, bloody wounds, and broken limbs in the hideously cruel British wool industry. Just like humans, they visibly express emotions – showing signs of depression when they experience stress or isolation – and they can recognise different facial expressions in humans. Sheep all have unique personalities, and they don’t deserve to suffer horrendously in the wool industry.
© PETA Asia
In response to the eyewitness footage, PETA Asia has asked the Scottish SPCA to launch an investigation and, if appropriate, file criminal charges against the workers for apparent violations of laws prohibiting cruelty to animals.
Such abuse is not limited to Scotland. In August, PETA Asia released footage showing rampant abuse of sheep on English farms. Other exposés by PETA affiliates of farms across Australia, the US, and South America have revealed that sheep are mutilated, tormented, and sometimes skinned alive – even for “responsibly sourced” wool on so-called “sustainable” farms. Once they’re no longer considered useful for wool production, they’re packed onto crowded lorries and taken to abattoirs, where their throats are slit.
What You Can Do
The best thing that you can do for sheep is to refuse to buy wool. It’s easy to check the labels before you buy clothing and other items. If they mention “wool”, leave the item on the shelf and look for an animal-free alternative. To find brands that sell fashion-forward wool alternatives, take a look at our list of companies using the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo.
Which brands do you want to see go wool-free? Let PETA know.
