Wool
Contents
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General Information
The headings are just a suggested starting point.
Harms to Sheep
Selective Breeding
Wild sheep grow exactly the right amount of wool to insulate them against the heat and the cold. This makes shearing unnecessary. However, domesticated sheep have been selectively bred to grow much more wool than necessary.
Some breeds, such as merinos, have been bred to have wrinkled skin. This is because the increased surface area means there is more wool per animal. Carrying this much wool can lead to overheating in hot weather, and even death from heat exhaustion.
Moisture and urine often gather in the folds of sheep skin. This attracts flies, which lay their eggs in the wrinkles. When the eggs hatch, the maggots begin to eat the sheep alive. This is known as “flystrike”.
Standard Practices
Shortly after birth, lambs have holes punched in their ears so tags can be inserted, and their tails are usually docked. Male lambs are castrated, sometimes by having an incision made in the scrotum and the testicles pulled out. In other cases, castration is done by cutting off the blood supply with a rubber ring until the testicles drop off. If they fail to do so, farmers may cut them off with clippers. These procedures are all routinely carried out without the use of anesthetic.
To prevent flystrike (described in the previous section), farmers may carry out a procedure called “mulesing”. This involves cutting away large chunks of skin from the backs of lambs’ legs and the area around their tails. Again, this is often done without anesthetic. The resulting scarred skin is smooth, and so less susceptible to flystrike. However, since the process leaves bloody wounds, flies often lay eggs there before the skin has time to heal.
Abuse and Neglect
Commercial sheep farms typically have very large flocks, often consisting of thousands of sheep. This makes it impossible for farmers to give sheep individual attention, meaning injuries and diseases often go untreated.
Shearers are usually paid according to the number of sheep they shear rather than by the hour. This provides an incentive to work quickly, with little regard for animal welfare. For this reason, injuries are common. Skin is often cut or ripped off, as are tails, ears, and teats. When this happens, wounds are hastily sewn up with a needle and thread. No painkillers are given.
Though some mistreatment occurs due to carelessness, undercover investigations have also found that some shearers are deliberately abusive. Footage shows shearers standing on sheep, as well as punching and kicking them. Some sheep have been recorded being hit in the face with electric clippers until they bleed.
Unsuitable Climate
Wild sheep generally live in arid, mountainous areas, but domesticated sheep are often farmed in areas to which they are not suited. This can lead to health problems. For example, when sheep are farmed in damp lowland regions, they are prone to foot rot and other diseases.
Wild sheep are able to roam and find shelter from the elements. However, shelter is rarely provided for farmed sheep. This leaves them vulnerable to both the heat and the cold. As a result, many lambs die of exposure before the age of eight weeks.
Live Export and Slaughter
Sheep which are no longer needed are sent to slaughter. Sheep from Australia, which produces around a quarter of the wool used worldwide, are typically sent to the Middle East or North Africa. They are transported live on crowded ships where diseases like conjunctivitis and salmonellosis are rife. Journeys often last several days, and sometimes weeks.
Some sheep are lame and have no choice but to lie on the feces-covered floors, where they are trampled. The food on board the ships is different to what the sheep are used to, and many become ill or die of starvation as a result. 19,407 sheep died during export in 2012 alone.
Many Middle Eastern countries have very little animal welfare legislation. When the ships dock, sheep are often thrown into the backs of trucks and dragged to slaughter by their legs or ears. Some sheep are bought by individuals who slaughter them at home, whilst others go to unregulated slaughterhouses. All are slaughtered by Halal methods, meaning their throats are slit while they are still conscious.
Wool as a By-Product
27 percent of wool is from slaughtered sheep, often from lambs slaughtered for meat. (I will be adding more information here.)
Humane Labels and Certifications
Investigations
Sheep Sentience and Cognition
Studies have shown that sheep can recognize the faces of up to 50 other sheep, as well as human faces. They can remember faces for as long as two years, using a similar neural mechanism to humans. In one study, sheep responded emotionally when shown photographs of absent individuals (both sheep and human). The researchers concluded that this suggests sheep are capable of conscious thought.
The sheep were even able to distinguish between different emotions, such as anger and happiness, on human faces. In another study, researchers said the facial recognition abilities of sheep were on par with those of humans and primates.
Researchers in Australia have also discovered that when sheep are ill, they heal themselves by eating plants with medicinal effects. Ewes teach their lambs which plants to eat, and the knowledge may be passed down for several generations. The study showed that sheep kept returning to plants which had helped them before.
See Also
Footnotes
Meta
This article was originally authored by Bethany Chester. The contents may have been edited since that time by others.
