Wool Industry B*llocked Over Cruelty to Sheep
Today, shoppers at The Woolshops Shopping Centre in Halifax – a town where wool was once sold by the stone – were met with PETA supporters wearing “bloodied woolly” jumpers and holding “lambs’ testicles” and signs reading, “Wool Hurts! Wear Vegan” and “Humane Wool? That’s B*llocks!”
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You might be wondering what these “bloodied” activists were doing in the Yorkshire town. PETA sprang into action to coincide with the beginning of spring – peak lambing season – to highlight the abuse sheep are subjected to in the wool industry. Workers sever male lambs’ testicles using a rubber ring to cut off the blood supply, one of the most painful castration methods possible.
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Sheep farming, putting rubber ring on testicles of lamb in lambing shed, Lancashire, England, April
Why Was PETA Protesting?
Whenever kind shoppers learn about the violence of the wool industry – which routinely castrates lambs without painkillers – they rush to buy vegan materials instead. PETA encouraged the good people of Halifax to ditch wool in favour of animal-free fabrics.
The Truth About Wool
A disturbing PETA Asia eyewitness investigation into the wool industry in the UK shows workers beating, stamping on, kicking, mutilating, and throwing sheep.
In the UK, 15% of lambs don’t survive infancy. Those who do face the terrifying prospect of being shorn, during which they may be slammed into floors and sustain wounds that are sewn closed with a dirty needle, and they may be left to die without veterinary care.
What You Can Do
Check the label of any jumper you’re considering buying – before you make a purchase. If it contains wool, put it back on the shelf.
In addition to steering clear of wool, you can also urge these companies to drop the cruelly obtained material now: