In Peru, workers at the alpaca farm Mallkini were filmed hitting, kicking, tying down, and mutilating animals while shearing them. The footage was made during a tour at the farm, Ashley Byrne from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shared with The Animal reader.
Workers tied the alpacas tightly by the legs to wooden devices and pulled it hard until the animals were stretched out. Shearers worked quickly and carelessly, leaving the animals bleeding with sometimes deep wounds.
Mallkini workers pulled alpacas up off the floor by the tail and yanked them around. The terrified alpacas cried out and some vomited as workers grabbed them by the ears.
The footage from PETA highlights just some of the abuse documented at the farm owned by the Michell Group, the world’s top exporter of alpaca yarn.
There were around 4000 alpacas at the farm. Alpacas breed once a year. A female alpaca is pregnant between 242 and 245 days and gives birth to one child. The animals can live up to 20 years old.
After talks with PETA, the clothing manufacturer Esprit said they would phase out alpaca. And as a first step, Gap Inc and the H&M group have cut ties with Michell, which had supplied them with alpaca. You can watch the full PETA undercover footage here.
Byrne said that the best thing consumers can do to stop the abuse of these animals is not to buy anything made of alpaca.
Watch the full interview with Ashley Byrne from PETA here.
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