Down Investigation Photos

A down industry worker sits on a bird’s neck to prevent her from struggling during the painful live-plucking process.

A worker grabs a bird by her delicate wing in order to puck her feathers out.

The terrified birds are roughly restrained while they are stripped of their protective feathers.

A worker restrains a bird by the neck and yanks out her feathers.

Live-plucking causes extreme distress to geese, who have a natural fear to being handled.

Workers, who are paid per goose, pluck feathers from the birds’ sensitive skin as quickly as they can.

When their feathers are ripped out, birds’ skin often tears. Workers then use a needle and thread to sew the skin back together in the same unsterile environment in which they plucked the birds–all without any painkillers.

‘[T]his live plucking process represent[s] gross cruelty . . . . ‘ -Dr. Ian J.H. Duncan

Workers handle the delicate geese roughly because they have an incentive to pluck as many birds as they can as quickly as possible.

One group of workers is generally expected to pluck the feathers of thousands of birds in a few hours.

Wounds like these are a common sight on farms where live-plucking takes place.

Live-plucking causes birds considerable pain and distress.

It takes the feathers of approximately 75 individual birds to make one down comforter.

Warm cruelty-free winter clothing and bedding are readily available. These humane materials are often labeled ‘polyester fill’ or ‘down alternative’ and include brands such as ‘PrimaLoft’ and ‘Thinsulate.’ Please, don’t buy down.

Photos: VIER PFOTEN International