Leather
India's sacred cows are beaten, abused and poisoned to make leather
The cow's special status in India is enshrined in law. With the exception of two states, the slaughter of cows and calves is totally forbidden, whatever the reason and at whatever age. Bulls and bullocks and she-buffaloes are protected up to 15 years of age.
But all this apparent reverence and protection masks a trade in cows and cow products which involves unbelievable barbarity and cruelty.
Much of the abuse stems from the fact that the trade in and slaughter of cows is almost entirely clandestine and illegal - but the authorities which should be stopping it are routinely bribed to let it continue. There is, therefore, no scrutiny or regulation of the trade anywhere along the line.
Although Hindus hold the cow in special esteem, and Jains regard all life as so sacred that they try to avoid hurting insects, investigations show that all India's major communities are complicit in the cruel treatment of cows.
A PETA-investigation, reveals the Indian treatment of its holiest animal as a scandal of cruelty, greed and corruption.
But all this apparent reverence and protection masks a trade in cows and cow products which involves unbelievable barbarity and cruelty.
Much of the abuse stems from the fact that the trade in and slaughter of cows is almost entirely clandestine and illegal - but the authorities which should be stopping it are routinely bribed to let it continue. There is, therefore, no scrutiny or regulation of the trade anywhere along the line.
Although Hindus hold the cow in special esteem, and Jains regard all life as so sacred that they try to avoid hurting insects, investigations show that all India's major communities are complicit in the cruel treatment of cows.
A PETA-investigation, reveals the Indian treatment of its holiest animal as a scandal of cruelty, greed and corruption.
PETA India reports:
Buying leather directly supports the misery of the slaughterhouse. According to statistics from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Council for Leather Exports, the value of leather exports from India – which is one of the largest leather manufacturers in the world – is 10 times greater than the value of its meat exports. So clearly cows and other cattle are suffering and being cruelly slaughtered so that the leather industry can profit from their skins.
Believe it or not, India's treatment of cows is among the cruellest in the world. Since it is illegal to kill healthy, young cattle in India, they are often deliberately maimed. Their legs may be broken, or they may be poisoned so that they can be declared fit for slaughter – not that many slaughterhouse workers care about the letter of the law. We have seen healthy calves as well as cows who were still able to produce milk being killed openly.
Cattle are tied together with ropes that are run through their noses, and they are beaten mercilessly during forced "death marches" over hundreds of kilometres. They are also transported in appalling conditions after being crammed on top of each other into lorries in the searing Indian heat. During transport, they cannot help but crush one another, and they die hideous deaths as a result of suffocation and injuries. The lorries careen at breakneck speeds along bumpy dirt and gravel roads and down mountain passes, pitching the cows around and causing more injuries and deaths.During the marches, cattle collapse from hunger, exhaustion, injury and despair. Handlers force them along by breaking their tails at each joint and rubbing tobacco, chillies and salt into their eyes. Each time a cow's tail is broken, the pain is similar to what we would feel if we broke a finger. They are never offered food or even so much as a drop of water.
By the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse, some animals are dead, and many are so sick and injured that workers must drag them inside – again without considering their feelings or the suffering they are forced to endure. The animals' short fur stands on end, and if one looks closely, one can see the terror and feeling of betrayal in their eyes. Once inside, their throats are cut in full view of other cattle, who are forced to watch and wait. Some have their legs hacked off while they're still conscious, and some endure the agony of being skinned alive.
Buying leather directly supports the misery of the slaughterhouse. According to statistics from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Council for Leather Exports, the value of leather exports from India – which is one of the largest leather manufacturers in the world – is 10 times greater than the value of its meat exports. So clearly cows and other cattle are suffering and being cruelly slaughtered so that the leather industry can profit from their skins.
Believe it or not, India's treatment of cows is among the cruellest in the world. Since it is illegal to kill healthy, young cattle in India, they are often deliberately maimed. Their legs may be broken, or they may be poisoned so that they can be declared fit for slaughter – not that many slaughterhouse workers care about the letter of the law. We have seen healthy calves as well as cows who were still able to produce milk being killed openly.
Cattle are tied together with ropes that are run through their noses, and they are beaten mercilessly during forced "death marches" over hundreds of kilometres. They are also transported in appalling conditions after being crammed on top of each other into lorries in the searing Indian heat. During transport, they cannot help but crush one another, and they die hideous deaths as a result of suffocation and injuries. The lorries careen at breakneck speeds along bumpy dirt and gravel roads and down mountain passes, pitching the cows around and causing more injuries and deaths.During the marches, cattle collapse from hunger, exhaustion, injury and despair. Handlers force them along by breaking their tails at each joint and rubbing tobacco, chillies and salt into their eyes. Each time a cow's tail is broken, the pain is similar to what we would feel if we broke a finger. They are never offered food or even so much as a drop of water.
By the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse, some animals are dead, and many are so sick and injured that workers must drag them inside – again without considering their feelings or the suffering they are forced to endure. The animals' short fur stands on end, and if one looks closely, one can see the terror and feeling of betrayal in their eyes. Once inside, their throats are cut in full view of other cattle, who are forced to watch and wait. Some have their legs hacked off while they're still conscious, and some endure the agony of being skinned alive.
CATTLES ARE NOT THE ONLY ANIMALS BEING KILLED FOR THEIR SKIN
While most leather products are made from the skins of cattle and calves, leather is also made from the skins of horses, sheep, lambs, goats and pigs who are slaughtered for meat. Many of these animals suffer the horrors of severe crowding, unanaesthetised castration, branding, tail-docking and dehorning. Other species – including zebras, bison, boars, deer, kangaroos, elephants, eels, sharks, dolphins, seals, walruses, frogs, crocodiles, lizards and snakes – are hunted and killed specifically for their skins. Rats, cats and stray dogs are also killed for their skins, but since people are typically reluctant to purchase products made from these animals, their skins are often labelled simply as "leather". A lot of the leather that comes from wildlife – such as crocodiles – is actually made from endangered, illegally poached animals. When you buy leather, you can't be sure what kind of animal it came from.
Exotic animals such as alligators are factory-farmed for their skins. On alligator ranches, up to 600 animals can be kept in a single tiny building. The buildings reek of rancid meat, alligator waste and stagnant water. Although alligators in nature sometimes live to be 60 years old, on farms they are usually butchered before the age of 4.
Alligators on farms are often beaten with hammers and sometimes take up to two hours to die. Snakes and lizards are often skinned alive because of the widespread belief that live flaying makes the leather manufactured from their skins more supple. Kid goats are sometimes boiled alive to make gloves, and the skins of unborn calves and lambs – some of whom are purposely aborted, some of whom come from slaughtered pregnant cows and ewes – are considered especially "luxurious".
According to recent international media reports, in one province in Thailand, dogs are rounded up and more than 50 of them are confined at once to a single lorry for five days without food or water, only to become briefcases, car-seat covers, trimmings on a fancy coat or fancy rawhide chews for other dogs.
Consumers are usually unaware of these products' origin because these items are often mislabelled as "lamb", "calf" or "goatskin". Nevertheless, it is not illegal to sell or import dog fur, even in the European Union.
While most leather products are made from the skins of cattle and calves, leather is also made from the skins of horses, sheep, lambs, goats and pigs who are slaughtered for meat. Many of these animals suffer the horrors of severe crowding, unanaesthetised castration, branding, tail-docking and dehorning. Other species – including zebras, bison, boars, deer, kangaroos, elephants, eels, sharks, dolphins, seals, walruses, frogs, crocodiles, lizards and snakes – are hunted and killed specifically for their skins. Rats, cats and stray dogs are also killed for their skins, but since people are typically reluctant to purchase products made from these animals, their skins are often labelled simply as "leather". A lot of the leather that comes from wildlife – such as crocodiles – is actually made from endangered, illegally poached animals. When you buy leather, you can't be sure what kind of animal it came from.
Exotic animals such as alligators are factory-farmed for their skins. On alligator ranches, up to 600 animals can be kept in a single tiny building. The buildings reek of rancid meat, alligator waste and stagnant water. Although alligators in nature sometimes live to be 60 years old, on farms they are usually butchered before the age of 4.
Alligators on farms are often beaten with hammers and sometimes take up to two hours to die. Snakes and lizards are often skinned alive because of the widespread belief that live flaying makes the leather manufactured from their skins more supple. Kid goats are sometimes boiled alive to make gloves, and the skins of unborn calves and lambs – some of whom are purposely aborted, some of whom come from slaughtered pregnant cows and ewes – are considered especially "luxurious".
According to recent international media reports, in one province in Thailand, dogs are rounded up and more than 50 of them are confined at once to a single lorry for five days without food or water, only to become briefcases, car-seat covers, trimmings on a fancy coat or fancy rawhide chews for other dogs.
Consumers are usually unaware of these products' origin because these items are often mislabelled as "lamb", "calf" or "goatskin". Nevertheless, it is not illegal to sell or import dog fur, even in the European Union.
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Buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses because skin is the most economically important byproduct of the meat industry. Leather is also no friend of the environment, as it shares responsibility for all the environmental destruction caused by the meat industry as well as the pollution caused by the toxins used in tanning.
With every pair of leather shoes that you buy, you sentence an animal to a lifetime of suffering. Instead, you can choose from hundreds of styles of nonleather shoes, clothing, belts, bags, and wallets. |