Mistreatment Of Angora Rabbits To Extract Their Wool
Animal maltreatment is an increasing problem. This type of phenomenon is often associated with different industries, such as food or textiles. With respect to the latter, it is public knowledge that animals that are used in this sector are abused to death. An example of this is the aberration that is committed in some Chinese farms that are dedicated to the production of angora fiber.
Fortunately, thanks to pressure from different groups in defense of animal rights, some clothing brands have banned the use of skins that come from these types of workshops.
But that wasn’t enough. And even today, in many Chinese establishments, they continue to abuse angora rabbits.
China’s cruel angora industry
The production of angora fibers is extremely cruel. In many factories, rabbit skin is extracted using very violent methods.
Without taking any kind of care, the animals are plucked, their skin is peeled off. But that is not all. What’s more, they’re locked in small cages, where they don’t have any kind of cleaning and are fed, if they’re lucky.
It should be noted that in China the greatest amount of these abuses is registered . The Asian country is the largest producer of angora fibers, which are highly appreciated due to their very smooth and spongy texture.
What’s more, these fibers are warmer than wool and much softer than cashmere.
To denounce how some Chinese farms work, associations that defend the rights of animals traveled to that country and recorded the brazen actions of this industry with videos.
In the audiovisual material published by these organizations, it is possible to observe how the rabbits are terrified, screaming in fear. In heartrending images, the animals are stretched out on a wooden board, held by the neck and pulling their fur off.
No to the mistreatment of animals
But why then does China’s industry use such abusive methods? For money and convenience. The fur of Angora rabbits has a commercial value of between £22 to £28 per kilo, but the longest fur that comes from plucking, unlike clipping, can be sold for more than twice as much.
As for the speed of the process, just looking at the images to find out how quickly Chinese workers, using devious methods, remove the fur from rabbits.
According to the breeders of Angora, it can take up to two weeks to remove the skin from a rabbit, without causing damage, not 3 or 4 minutes, as can be seen in the videos recorded in Chinese factories.
The tortuous processes used on Chinese farms are repeated every three months during the two or three years of the animal’s life.
Angora rabbits, when well cared for, can live for five or even ten years. However, farm rabbits have a much shorter shelf life, which does not exceed two years.
They are forced to spend their entire miserable life in small cages. They never have the ability to dig, jump or run, and their hygienic and health conditions are non-existent.
According to animal rights advocates, the few rabbits that survive these brutal conditions end up being beheaded and their meat sold in local markets.
In China, there are more than 50 million Angora rabbits on farms, which produce approximately 4,000 tons of fur a year.
Other countries that are also angora producers are Argentina, Chile, the Czech Republic and Hungary. However, in them, the production does not exceed 10%.
The plucking of angora rabbits does not occur with this type of method in other countries. But in China, abusive practices are common and are increasingly carried out, as there is no strong legislation that prohibits animal abuse.
To avoid this type of abuse, don’t forget: the best thing to do is not to buy clothes whose fabric comes from these workshops. With this small action, you can possibly prevent these terrifying methods from remaining in place.
