11 Animals You Didn’t Know Are Used for Leather – From Dogs to Horses
Many people wear animal skin (euphemised as “leather”) every day without a second thought.
When you really think about it, the idea of walking around in the skin of someone who was confined, tortured, and killed is not only cruel but absolutely disgusting. Despite this, the leather industry uses millions of tonnes of it each year.
In the UK, people often associate leather with cows – but they are just one animal killed for their skins. Many fashion brands do not identify – and often don’t know themselves – which animal skin they used, meaning you don’t always know whose skin you’re in.
From dogs and cats to horses and goats, here are 11 animals whose skin might be in your wardrobe right now.
Kangaroos
You’ll likely associate kangaroos with stunning Australian landscapes – but did you know they’re being shot and killed for their meat and skin?
Kangaroo skin is exported for football boots, hats, cars, motorcycles, and more. Many big-name brands – such as Versace, Nike, and Adidas – have publicly distanced themselves from kangaroo skin in recent years, yet it continues to be used and sold to unwitting customers worldwide.
Sheep
Sheep aren’t just exploited for their wool; they’re also used in the leather industry. Sheep are forced to live in small fields in all imaginable weather conditions, and it’s not uncommon for lambs to die of exposure or starvation while in fields. They are also subjected to painful tail docking and crude castration before they are sent for slaughter. All this so ‘luxury’ brands can make handbags and coats out of their skin.
Goats
Goat leather is commonly used for gloves, bags, and clothing. Like sheep, many goats are raised with little protection from the elements, endure mutilations (in their case, having parts of their horns removed and being crudely castrated), and are killed at a young age for their skins. Goat skin is also a coproduct of the cashmere and mohair industries.
Pigs
Millions of gentle pigs are killed each year for their flesh – but most people are unaware that their skin is also used for footwear, gloves, hats, and other accessories.
Pigs, who are naturally clean animals, are crammed into filthy factory farms and forced to live in squalor. Mother pigs are kept in cages not big enough to turn around in for weeks on end after giving birth. At the slaughterhouse, pigs are often killed with a high concentration of CO2, which causes an agonising burning sensation.
Cats
You read that right: cats are indeed killed by the leather industry, and their skins are shipped and sold around the world. People in the UK may be outraged by the idea, but you cannot be sure you aren’t buying it if a brand doesn’t detail the animal and the skin’s origins.
Horses
Horses are killed for their meat and skins all over the world. Many horses killed for leather have previously been exploited for the racing industry. They are often forced to endure long journeys to the slaughterhouse with minimal or no food and water. Those who have been injured or are too thin to be killed for meat are referred to as “skinners” – and specifically killed for leather and other body parts.
Ostriches
Ostriches are exploited on farms – their flesh eaten, their skin is used in boots, bags, and wallets, and their feathers are used in party and fashion accessories. A PETA US investigation at ostrich farms have found huge suffering, including ostriches forced to watch as their flock mates are killed right in front of them.
Sharks
Shark skin, sometimes marketed under names like “shagreen”, is often used for ‘luxury’ footwear, accessories like watch straps, and home decorations. Humans kill 100 million sharks every year, which is devastating to the ocean as well as the individuals. As apex predators, sharks are essential for maintaining the ecosystem.
Snakes
Brands like Louis Vuitton exploit and kill snakes for bags that can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. PETA Asia investigations have uncovered snakes being bashed with hammers, nailed to trees, impaled on hooks, and skinned alive.
Crocodiles
Like snakes, crocodiles are intensively farmed so that their skins can be put on display for a hefty price tag. Eyewitnesses at crocodile farms in Vietnam have detailed how workers cut their necks and rammed metal rods down their spines, causing the animals to shake vigorously and endure a prolonged, painful death.
Dogs
Most humans in Britain would, rightfully, get angry if they saw someone hitting a dog in the park, but most have no idea that dog skin could be in a clothes shop near you.
China is the world’s largest leather producer – and dogs are intensively farmed both for meat and skins in the country. A PETA Asia investigation inside dog slaughterhouses in Eastern China found terrified dogs being bludgeoned and skinned alive.
A lack of regulation means that dog skin can be sold under the label of skin from cows or other animals.
Cow Leather Is No Better
If you’re outraged at dogs, or any other animal on this list, being killed for their skins – but you still wear cow skin, you should remember that it is equally unacceptable to kill all animals for skins – regardless of their species. Cows are confined, beaten, and sometimes skinned alive in the leather industry. If you believe a cow is worth less than a handbag but a dog isn’t, that is speciesism.
Take Action Against the Skins Industry
You can help animals abused by the leather industry today with these quick actions:
Wear Vegan Leather Instead
Inspired to do the right thing and remove animal skins from your wardrobe? Here are our picks of some of the best vegan leathers to buy:
Help Animals in 2026: Renew Your PETA Membership!
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