Members will already know that leather, fur and wool come from animals who are often terribly abused and killed to be turned into shoes, coats, jumpers and other items of clothing. But many other materials used for clothing are made from the skins and fur of animals and some of these are not so recognisable.
They are:
Angora (Mohair): angora is made from the hair of goats or rabbits. Angora rabbits are routinely strapped to boards for shearing – an experience that is painful and traumatic for the animals. Down/Feathers: birds often have the feathers pulled out of their skin after they have been slaughtered, but sometimes birds – such as geese from “breeding flocks” and those raised for the cruel foie gras industry – are plucked whilst they are still alive. They feel every feather as it is ripped from their body.
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Silk: silk is derived from the cocoons of caterpillar larvae. Most of the insects abused by the silk industry don’t live past the pupae stage, when they are steamed, boiled or gassed to death in their cocoons.
Velvet: velvet is also often made from silk, but synthetic alternatives can be found.
Cashmere: cashmere is made from the hair of Cashmere goats and wild goats of Tibet. Up to 80 per cent of young goats may be killed and discarded as trash if their coats are not considered to be of sufficient value to farmers.
Chamois: chamois is the skin of the chamois antelope. Goats, sheep and deer are also used to make leather household cleaning cloths.
Pashmina: pashmina is hair cut from Himalayan goats and used to make shawls of the same name.
Shearling: shearling is a sheepskin or lambskin pelt, typically with leather or suede on one side and shorn fibres on the other. It is often made into footwear.
Nubuck: nubuck is the inner side of a cow’s skin that has been sanded to create short fibres.
Synthetic alternatives are readily available so that you don’t have to buy cruelly produced materials made from animals. Please make sure you always check the label before you purchase any item.
On behalf of all animals, especially those who are confined and killed for their skins in all parts of the world, thank you.
Ingrid E Newkirk Founder. PETA UK
PS Checking labels needn’t be hard now that you know what to look for. Spending an extra moment checking labels and making the right choice spares animals’ lives.
Please visit PETA.org.uk <http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=25303&ea.campaigner.email=YHYRCbbjDeyXGyvN3%2BTnBgH1yl3UEU8C&ea_broadcast_target_id=0> for other ways you can help animals.