PETA activists bared it all on Tuesday as they braved chilly temperatures to dramatize the plight of baby lambs trapped in the industrial wool industry, which PETA says is cruel to animals.
Holding stuffed effigies of ‘dead lambs,’ the trio interrupted holiday shoppers visiting the Christmas Village at Dilworth Park with their passionate plea to purchase wool alternatives and avoid products made by exploiting unwilling animals.
“Gentle sheep are beaten until they’re bloody and broken for the sake of wool sweaters and scarves,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a press release. “PETA is calling on holiday shoppers to give sheep some peace on Earth this year by keeping wool apparel off their lists.”
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) urged customers to read labels, avoid wool, angora and cashmere and instead buy products made of cotton or synthetic materials.
The focus on wool comes in the wake of recent PETA investigations of wool exporters in Australia that allegedly caught on video of workers punching, kicking, stomping and stabbing sheep inside the operations.
“Shearers are often paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast, violent work that can lead to gaping wounds on sheep’s bodies,” PETA said in a press release. “The wounds are then stitched closed—without giving the animals any painkillers.”
Maybe PETA has reason to be confident: earlier this year, they celebrated a victory after the NJ-based Burlington Coat Factory retailer went fur-free across their 600 stores after 10 months of negotiations with PETA.
