Meet Pete. He's from Australia. April 24, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at April 24, 2009 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 14 ) | TrackBack

If you're still wearing wool, I'm about to give you five reasons to stop.

Their names are Faith, Lily, Mae, Pete, and Lucy, and they are five sheep from Australia who were exploited for the wool industry.

Australia produces 25% of the world's wool—this wool comes from sheep like Pete.

Pete was unable to move and close to death when the investigators found him. His only water supply was a black puddle that was contaminated by a rotting sheep's carcass. Pete is the face of the wool industry.

Pete died about an hour after this picture was taken, having suffered alone for weeks.

In Australia, sheep are specifically bred to have extra wrinkly skin, which means farmers can get more wool from each animal. This obviously makes it much hotter, and it causes animals to die of heat exhaustion in the summer. The wrinkles also collect urine and moisture—which attract flies, who then lay eggs in the sheep's skin. This is called flystrike, and the maggots can actually eat the sheep alive, like they did Pete.

Australian ranchers perform a barbaric operation—mulesing—carving pieces of skin off of the sheep. This is done to cause smooth, scarred skin that won't harbor fly eggs, yet the bloody wounds often get flystrike before they heal and the cycle continues.

After years of this abuse, Australian sheep are crammed onto filthy boats for live export to the Middle East—a trip that many do not survive—where they are dragged to slaughter and have their throats cut while they are conscious and struggling. Their flesh is then sold to be eaten.

How can you help animals like Pete? Don't buy wool! Too many people think sheep just can't survive without someone coming along to shear them (just like a cow needs to be milked, right?). Know your facts and pass them on!

I never want an animal to have to suffer so I can wear a sweater, do you?

Joaquin Phoenix: Defender of Sheep September 13, 2007

Posted by Patricia at September 13, 2007 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

Photo courtesy of Star Max Inc

There are two things you can count on in life...paying taxes and Joaquin Phoenix. (OK, there are actually many more things you can count on, I know, but I'm making a point.) And you can always count on Joaquin to: A. give a stellar performance—they don't just nominate any schmuck from the local community theater for Oscars and Golden Globes—B. look totally adorable C. speak up for animals.

His latest good deed comes in the form of a letter he penned to Australia's Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran about the cruel treatment of sheep by the Australian wool industry. See, contrary to popular belief, sheep don't just spend their days hanging out, grazing without a care in the world, waiting to be sheared or shaved. It is a pretty picture, but not at all accurate.

Each year, millions of sheep raised for their wool in Australia are mutilated without receiving veterinary care or painkillers. Many sheep and lambs die from disease, neglect, starvation, and exposure, just so someone can buy a crummy sweater or coat. The Aussie wool industry say they'll phase out the hideous practice of mulesing, which is cutting huge chunks of flesh from lambs' (lambs!!!) backsides to prevent maggot infestation by 2010, but they could ban the practice right now and switch to humane methods that other farmers are currently using.

That's where our hero Joaquin comes in. He's asking McGauran to "step in and push the wool industry to do the right thing" and to "put an end to the two worst abuses of sheep who are raised for their wool by banning both mulesing and the export of live sheep to the Middle East."

And here's where you come in, let Australia's Prime Minister hear from you. We've done all the work for you, you just need to fill in a few spaces and click send. Come on, it's for the sheep and the lambs...think of the lambs the next time you're shopping and boycott wool.

Our good friend Pink was also completely outraged when she found out what was happening to sheep so check out her expose of the Australian wool industry.




xox

Patricia