Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The images you are about to see are for a surprising look into the Australian Wool industry.
With more than 100 million sheep, Australia produces about 50% of the Marina Wool in the
world. Most sheep in Australia are Mariner sheep, who are breed to have wrinkly skin
which means more wool per animal but blow flies leg eggs in these folds of skin attracted
to the moisture that can result when feces and urine get into the wrinkles and the hatch
maggots can eat the sheep alive. In a cruel and crude effort to reduce such infestations,
Australian farmers perform a procedure called “mulesing” which involves throwing live
sheep on their backs, restraining their legs between metal bars and with no pain relief
at all, craving chunks of flesh from their legs and rumps. Using a pair of sharp metal
sheers, much like the ones to cut branches from trees, farmers carve away the flesh from
the animal’s rumps. This is done to create a smooth scar that is suppose to prevent urine
and droppings from sticking to the wool reducing the likelihood of maggot infestation but the
exposed wound can attract flies and become infected before it heals, making mulesing
not only cruel but sometimes even ineffective. Although there are alternatives to mulesing,
such as sheering under the tail at the right time, using insecticide, using fly traps,
monitoring sheep closely so that fly strike can be spotted and treated or simply using
plain bodied sheep who are better suited to the hot Australian climate. Farmers perform
mulesing on millions of lambs each year without any pain killers once so ever.
Each year up to 6 million Australian sheep are rounded up on farms and goaded onto trucks
where they wait, sometimes for days until they reach export ships. Export ships are
many tiers high and usually carry 10’s of thousands of animals. The sheep face journeys
of several weeks at sea often in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees
Celsius. Disease outbreaks are common on the crowded vassals. During these agonizing journeys
over thousands of miles and across hemispheres many thousands of sheep die because they stop
eating from stress and confusion and many collapse from heat exhaustion. Many fall ill
from other causes and many die when they are smothered or trampled by other frightened
sheep. Sick and injured sheep have been ground up in mincing machines while still conscious
or dumped overboard to drown or be eaten by sharks. In 2003, on a ship called the “MV
Cormo Express,” more than 5,000 sheep died and 45,000 more suffered greatly while the
ship remained at sea for close to three months. Once they arrive at their final destination,
usually somewhere in the Middle East, Asia or North Africa, where animal welfare standards
are almost non-existent sheep are dragged from the ship and trucked off to be sold for
ritual slaughter. In many of the countries where these sheep
end up animals are not stunned before slaughter. This means that fully conscious animals, having
already endured a lifetime of abuse, including an arduous, miserable and freighting journey,
are dragged into slaughter houses and market squares where they have their throats slit,
often in front of other sheep, all while fully conscious. Many of these sheep are thrown
on top of other sheep and are left to slowly bleed to death. Many sheep are ritually slaughtered
to celebrate particular events like the opening of a new store. Without any welfare regulations
what so ever, many of these animals have their throats slit, and their legs cut off, and
skinned and dismembered while still alive. Please help stop this terrible suffering by
not buying wool, particularly wool from Australia, which as you have seen practices mulesing
and exports live sheep by sea. With so many wonderful natural materials and synthetics
available it’s easy not to wear or buy wool. Call PETA or visit SavetheSheep.com for a
list of alternatives. Thank You.