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by Jenna Thompson “Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow”. This is a classic nursery rhyme that is soothing and enticing for the innocent youth and quite frankly the rest of the population who are blinded to an industry they likely support every day. Realistically the jingle should go along the lines of, “Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was cruelly taken away by humans”. You were probably never told that these little nonhuman animals are merely breed for production. Although wool is commonly used, the ethics of nonhuman animal treatment during the process are often disputed. Since sheep are not killed during the process, the brutality during the production of wool might not often be thought about by the public. To most it seems the sheep are receiving only a haircut however, just because they are not slaughtered does not mean that they receive the right treatment in the process. Wool is no stranger to us. From the clothes we wear, the furniture we rest on, and even tennis balls contain wool. Have you thought of who the wool comes from? A prized class in the industry is the Merino. The Spanish native breed, who are well known for their fine wool, was selectively breed in Australia to further increase their wool production.4 Their fibers are soft, light yet warm, and breathable. For Merinos to produce the excessive wool that they were bred for, their skin surface area was increased causing the breed to genetically inherit a fault of thick and wrinkly skin. This folded skin traps urine, feces, and sweat which attracts flystrike. Flystrike is painful condition where flies lay eggs on soiled wool or folds in skin. Ninety percent of flystrike is caused from the Australian Sheep Blowfly species.6 The eggs hatch into maggots who then burrow into the sheep’s skin and feed off skin tissue. The damaged tissue leads to open wounds and oozing body fluids. This means once a sheep falls a victim of the parasite, more flies are attracted, reproduce, while eggs quickly hatch. Within the first two days’ sheep show symptoms of flystrike such as irritation and can even be eaten to death within 3-6 days if untreated.3 According to the Department of Agriculture and Food of Western Australia, sheep with wrinkled skin, long wool, and who are rarely monitored are more prone to flystrike,6 all which are traits of Merinos. This fast spreading infection is an issue due to manipulating Merinos genes to make maximum profit. Instead of using a breed that doesn’t have such detrimental traits for their health to prevent flystrike, the industry turns to mulesing. Mulesing is the surgical removal of the wool-bearing skin around the breech of a sheep. This technique involves the cutting of the skin near the base of the tail, outside the non-woolen perineal area, and the surface of the hind legs, and a strip of skin on both sides of the buttocks is also removed.7 Although mulesing is effective at reducing flystrike, it is extremely painful and causes excessive bleeding. The best long-term solution would be selecting a more suitable breed that would not require mulesing, regardless if it means a loss of production. Along with mulesing, a routine practice on sheep is tail docking, which is the shorting of the tail. Docking is done for sanitary reasons to prevent flystrike and fecal matter accumulating on the tail and hindquarters of sheep. The most common method of docking is done by cutting off circulation by applying a rubber band at the base of the tail, which then shrivels due to the lack of blood and falls off within seven to ten days.1 This process called banding is painful and should only be done during the first week of life. Another method is hot iron or electric docking, which clips and cauterizes the tail by using a hot or electric blade.2 Electric docking is faster and thus considered less painful compared to bandin; however, it results in excessive bleeding that can even lead to death. Using a knife assisted with a clamp tool, such as a burdizzo, is another technique. A burdizzo is used to crush the tail to cut off the blood supply, while a knife is used to remove the tail.2 Alternatively, a knife by itself is used or an emasculator, a tool that crushes and cuts the tail simultaneously. If tails are docked too short, the procedure damages muscle and nerves of the lamb’s anus leading to rectal prolapses.1 Too short of tails also prevent the sheep from swatting away flies and exposes bare skin. This inhumane procedure is extremely painful yet Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the world’s top exporters of wool, permit tail docking without anesthesia.3 A humane substitute to tail docking would be simply providing the sheep with proper cleaning to stop fecal buildup. After all, tails are a natural part of sheep. However, due to such massive numbers of sheep in the industry, it would be difficult to keep up with routinely cleaning sheep’s rears. Thus, the removal of the tail is seen as an efficient solution, regardless if it is traumatic for the nonhuman animal. In 2015, Patagonia stopped their ties with the sheep farm Ovis 21 after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released multiple footage of the inhumane treatment sheep received on Ovis 21. The company’s CEO Rose Marcario stated, “Patagonia’s partnership with Ovis 21 has been a source of pride because of the program’s genuine commitment to regenerating the grassland ecosystem, but this work must come equally with respectful and human treatment of the animals that contribute to this endeavor”.7 The three-minute-long video contained graphic footage of tail docking, castration, and slaughter. In 2005 Patagonia also become aware of how devastating mulesing is through another PETA campaign and quickly delayed the release of a Merino product until the company found a reliable source of non-mulesed wool.7 You can read Patagonia’s full statement here. The truth is that the wool industry is neglectful to provide sheep with proper handling and maintenance. The industry thrives off production and using sheep as objects until they are no longer profitable. Sheep do not have to suffer from painful procedures for our consumption. The most powerful message we can give is choosing where we spend our money wisely. An individual can help by being alert of what fabrics they are purchasing. Luckily, consumers have vast alternatives on the market today. Some cruelty free fibers are cotton, hemp, linen, polyester fleece, or buying second-hand clothing are only a few great alternatives. If we continue to invest our money into crooked industries we are only fueling the viscous cycle enabling it to continue. References: 1. Merino Wool - The History of Wool. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://www.merino.com/wool/the-fibre/the-history-of-merino-wool/ 2. Managing flystrike in sheep. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2017, from https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-parasites/managing-flystrike-sheep 3. Morris, M. C. (n.d.). Ethical Issues Associated with Sheep Fly Strike Research, Prevention, and Control. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1009541810740 4. Lee, C., & Fisher, A. D. (2007, March). Welfare Consequences of Mulesing of Sheep. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17359305 5. Sheep 201: Docking and castrating. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2017, from http://www.sheep101.info/201/dockcastrate.html 6. C166 Docking Lambs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.infovets.com/books/smrm/C/C166.HTM 7. Patagonia to Cease Purchasing Wool from Ovis 21. (2016, July 26). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.patagonia.com/blog/2015/08/patagonia-to-cease-purchasing-wool-from-ovis-21/ AUTHOR BIOJenna Thompson is a freshman at Minnesota State University, Mankato. When she is not doing schoolwork, you can find her outdoors either kayaking, camping, hiking, or biking. Her favorite outdoor campion is her three-year-old rescue dog, Rex. Comments are closed.
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This is a website about nonhuman animals, written by human animals taking a Society and Animals class at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archives
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