In recent years, the fashion industry has come under increased scrutiny for its treatment of animals used for leather production. One particularly disturbing practice that has come to light involves the use of pythons, which are pumped full of air until they Ԁɪᴇ in order to produce leather goods.
Workers Pump Pythons Full of Air Until They Dɪᴇ for Leather
A PETA Asia investigation reveals that thousands of snakes in Vietnam are confined and then ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ by being inflated with compressed air and that crocodiles are ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀᴏsʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ, sᴛᴀʙʙᴇᴅ with a metal blade, inflated, and then likely sᴋɪɴɴᴇᴅ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ just to make bags, shoes, belts, and other accessories that are sold around the world. The cruelty you’re about to see is standard practice in the exotic–skins industry.
This practice, known as “blow-up”, involves workers inserting a tube into the mouth or anus of a live python and then pumping air into the animal until it swells up and Ԁɪᴇs from suffocation or internal injuries. The skin of the python is then removed and used to produce leather products such as shoes, belts, and handbags.
The snakes and crocodiles, that are being farmed for their skins, writhe in ᴀɢᴏɴʏ as they become part of the illegal skin trade. The snakeskins are used to create luxury fashion items such as handbags by fashion companies such as Louis Vuitton and other snakeskin-selling brands.
Brutal images of snake sᴋɪɴɴɪɴɢ, filmed in Vietnam in 2016, show people tightening the pythons’ mouths and anus and cutting a hole in one of the ends to pump in some gas, compressed until the python ᴅɪᴇs . This is considered an inhuman and unacceptable method because the terrible pressure inside the snake’s body caused by the compressed air will cause them to experience intense ᴘᴀɪɴ all over the body. These snakes have to endure severe sᴛʀᴇss on the circulatory and nervous systems while they are still ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ .
The investigator was told that the snakes were allegedly sᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ with a car battery before being sʟᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ, but there is no conclusive evidence that electrocution leads to insensitivity to ᴘᴀɪɴ or sᴛʀᴇss in reptiles. The workers still ᴛᴏʀᴇ their skin and ʙᴜᴛᴄʜᴇʀᴇᴅ them even though they still showed signs of life.
Snakes Confined to Cramped, Filthy Cages
The snakes are kept in dirty and cramped cages. They can’t even reach their full length and are extremely less likely to move around and climb as they would in the wild. They are not provided with water, adequate food or a container to bathe in the cramped cages. Confining snakes in this way is common in commercial slaughterhouses.
The sᴛʀᴇss of animals living in filthy captivity creates the perfect breeding ground for ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ ᴠɪʀᴜsᴇs. Whether it’s snakes or other animals, ᴋɪʟʟɪɴɢ these animals often results in bad luck. Therefore, we would like to call on you to boycott animal skin products together. With so many different materials to choose from such as cotton and polyester, there’s no excuse for animals to Dɪᴇ violently and painfully for fashion.
