Not too long ago, PETA exposed some of the horrific treatment meted out to alligators at farms before they were eventually killed to be made into Hermès bags. Now, in a fresh video, PETA has revealed that ostriches suffer similar treatment. Ostrich skin is usually easily recognizable thanks to the polka-dot like bumps that litter its surface, and it is commonly used by Hermès and other companies to create luxury handbags.
In the six minute video shows ostriches being plucked, electrocuted and exsanguinated while conscious, that basically amounts to torture. Spliced in, are scenes of ostriches in the wild. According to PETA’s investigation 75 percent of all ostrich leather comes from slaughterhouses and tanneries in South Africa’s Western Cape, with the two largest suppliers being Moostrich and Klein Karoo. PETA has namedropped Hermès and Prada specifically for the use of unethically sourced ostrich leather, however a factory insider from the clip also names LVMH as one of the brands that uses leather from these sources.
“We know that other companies use ostrich skin,” Kathy Guillermo, SVP at PETA, told the New York Times. “But as we talked to more people who work at these factories and at trade shows, Prada was the name they offered up, the name they said was connected with these two companies in particular.”
Prada has not commented on the matter but Hermès released a statement that said, “Hermès is fully committed to adherence to the highest international standards regarding the sustainable farming of non-endangered animals. Hermès is in the process of auditing supplier farms to ensure best practices are met in all instances. Any breach of rules will be rectified and sanctioned. For more than 10 years, Hermès has organized monthly visits to suppliers. The company demands conformity with slaughter standards established by veterinary experts and by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation (a federal American organization for the protection of nature) and with the rules established under the aegis of the U.N.O. by the Washington Convention of 1973 which defines the protection of endangered species.”
[ Via : Luxurydaily ]
