PETA Exposes Shocking, Never-Before-Seen Footage of Angora Fur Industry

Investigation in China Reveals Rabbits Screaming in Pain as Their Fur Is Ripped From Their Bodies

For Immediate Release:
November 19, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

As shoppers and retailers gear up for Black Friday and the busiest shopping time of the year, PETA is unveiling an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look into the angora fur industry. The video, released today by CBSNews.com and PETA and shot by a PETA Asia investigator in China—the source of 90 percent of the world’s angora fur—reveals workers violently ripping the fur out of rabbits’ skin as the animals scream in pain. After their fur is yanked out, the gentle, sensitive rabbits are left in shock, able only to lie motionless inside their tiny, filthy cages. After they endure this process every three months for two to five years, their throats are slit and their skin is ripped from their bodies.

PETA, like its international affiliates, is asking its more than 3 million members and supporters worldwide to circulate the footage via social media so that holiday shoppers can see what an “angora” label really means—and learn how the only way to ensure that a garment is truly cruelty-free is to shop animal-free, or vegan.

“PETA is appealing to shoppers this holiday season,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Please take the time to read the label on that sweater or scarf. If it says ‘angora,’ remember the gentle rabbits whose fur was cruelly ripped out of their skin—and then leave the item on the rack.”

Rabbits who have their fur cut or sheared also suffer: During the cutting process, their front and back legs are tightly tethered—a terrifying experience for any prey animal—and the sharp cutting tools inevitably wound them as they struggle desperately to escape. All the rabbits spend their solitary lives in barren wire cages that harm their sensitive feet. They’re denied solid flooring, bedding, and the vital companionship of other rabbits.

PETA Asia’s investigator visited nine angora fur farms in China, where there are no penalties for animal abuse on rabbit farms and no standards that regulate the treatment of animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.