20 Jul Goats used for their hair and skin
CASHMERE
Cashmere is made from cashmere goats and is hair that is torn or shorn from their underbellies. These goats are often kept on farms where they are dehorned and castrated and have their ears notched without
Cashmere cruelty caught on video
MOHAIR
Mohair, the long, smooth fibre used in sweaters, hats and other fluffy accessories, comes from angora goats (not to be confused with angora wool, which comes from angora rabbits). To obtain mohair, workers often tie the goats’ legs together, pin them to the floor, and use electric shears or large clippers to shear them.
Angora goats are killed well short of their natural 10-year life expectancy. As soon as they’re no longer useful to the industry due to their age impacting the quality of their hair, they will be sold for meat, or they may be slaughtered for their skins, which are then used to produce clothing, rugs and other items.
Since goats are prey animals, being restrained in this way is an horrific experience for them. The shearers work fast, causing the same frequent injuries and gaping wounds, not unlike sheep shearing.
Angora goats would once shed naturally. Now, due to genetic manipulations they are reliant on being shorn. Our interference with the natural processes of these gentle animals means their reliance on humans to shear them or help to maintain their thick coats, for the time being cannot be avoided, however, their harsh treatment and commodification can.
Shearing robs goats of their natural insulation, and unlike sheep, they don’t carry layers of body fat or lanolin. For this reason, they are even more susceptible to cold stress and weather-induced death for around 14 days after shearing. Like those who profit from sheep, those who use goats for profits have no need to consider their suffering from cold. Their primary concern lies in making money from the lives of others.
GOAT HAIR IN THE BEAUTY AND ART INDUSTRY
Goat hair is used in make up brushes and hair brushes. Something that the beauty industry thrives on, as with all industries that exploit animals, is deception. Please be aware that there is no such thing as cruelty free when any animal products are being used. Its an oxy moron just as free range, ethical and humane when used in conjunction with animal products. You can purchase vegan, cruelty free synthetic make up, hair brushes and paint brushes, that are not only ethical but also a better quality product.
LEATHER
A goat’s skin is also torn from their bodies during the slaughter process and this is then sold as “leather”. Animal skin is the most economically important co-product of the “meat” industry. Buying and wearing leather directly supports the inherent cruelty within the animal agriculture industry.
Many male kids and buckling’s from the dairy industry are viewed as mere waste products and are sent to slaughter anywhere from 3 months of age. Their flesh is sold as capretto and their skin is sold as either kid skin or goat suede.
TANNERY TOXINS
Tanning, the process of turning raw animal skin into leather involves the use of toxic chemicals that harm not only our environment as they wash into the waterways, but also our health. These chemicals have been linked to nervous system disorders, skin and respiratory infections, leukaemia and other types of cancer. Arsenic, a chemical commonly used in the tanning process, has long been associated with lung cancer in workers who are exposed to it on a regular basis.
Baby goats such as this little precious one who
DISBUDDING AND DEHORNING
Disbudding and dehorning are yet more cruel practices systemic to industries that use goats for their fur and skin along with other industries where goats are exploited.
Goat horns have many blood vessels within them that help the goats regulate their body temperature in the heat. Without horns, the goats have to resort to panting to cool off.
Disbudding is a procedure that uses a hot iron to
Dehorning is the removal of horns once they have attached to the skull, typically
Disbudding and dehorning are only done for the “safety” of the operators who handle the goats and seemingly for aesthetic reasons.
Several websites state things such as:
“Do you like the look of your goats with, or without horns”
“Is your goats behaviour that by leaving the goats horns intact will not be a problem”
“Do your goats live in an environment that will be more useful than not having them”
There is consensus among many vets that dehorning and disbudding is extremely invasive and painful for the animals.
CASTRATION
The methods listed below can be done without any official training. There are available manuals, articles
BURDIZZO METHOD
The Burdizzo is a castration device which employs a large clamp designed to break the blood vessels leading into the testicles. When the device is used, the operator crushes the spermatic cords one at a time, leaving a space in between to prevent an interruption of blood-flow to the scrotum.
ELASTRATOR METHOD
This method involves cutting off the blood supply to the testes with a heavy rubber band or ring. In 10 to 14 days, the scrotum and testes will slough off.
KNIFE METHOD
How to castrate a goat features in ‘Raising Goats for Dummies’, highlighting anyone can perform the procedure, having had no any experience or training. Again, no anesthetic is required and the Knife-Method is touted as the most reliable and least expensive method of castration.
It is insane to acknowledge the obvious, that animals are sentient, just like us, yet at the same time, not only legally but socially accept such brutal and violent treatment of these individuals. The point must always be considered that so long as anyone is viewed and used as a commodity, existing for the benefit of another, their wellbeing will never be a priority and their right to a full and long life well lived will never exist.
Author: Jaysherrie Terraqueos
Founder of Melbourne Goat Save
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