There is no denying that angora wool is beautifully soft & Angora Rabbits are incredibly beautiful animals, which I imagine will instantly make you 'awh'...
Unfortunately this post is quite upsetting & I'm not going to embed the video as it's quite distressing, although I shall post the link below, should you wish to view it.
Angora wool, which is more commonly referred to as angora is the super-fluffy coat produced by the Angora Rabbit. Angora is popular for it's incredible softness; thin-fibres & the fact it's much lighter, yet warmer than ewe's wool...
As a vegetarian, the use of angora had never crossed my mind, but since becoming vegan, I have been investigating things further. I have been finding it difficult to find hats & gloves, which are 100% synthetic, but they are out there! The majority of items which I have picked up & thought 'ooh that's nice', have turned out to contain angora - so there's no doubt, it's luxurious to the touch. Sadly, behind the luxury, is a very sad tale for the Angora Rabbit.
So far, over 13,000 people have pledged on PETA's website, never to wear angora again - there must be a darn good reason for this! Angora wool is a material commonly used in socks, scarves, hats, gloves & jumpers & as you can imagine, it's demand is much greater during the winter months.
Aided with video footage from their investigation of Angora farms in China, where 90% of the worlds angora is produced, PETA were pleased to announce that H&M have decided that they are halting the production of angora products because of the horrific cruelty inflicted upon the rabbits.
The video illustrates the barbaric act of the bunnies having their fur torn from their bodies as they scream in pain. The workers, grab the rabbits & continue to rip their fur until they're left bare & bleeding. Following this, we see the rabbit thrown back into filthy cages. This practice is far from glamorous!
H&M have previously voiced their decision to keep exotic animal skins & wool obtained from mulesed sheep out of their stores. Although, they will not be immediately removing angora products from their shelves, they will offer customers a refund, if they purchased angora products without realising the cruelty involved. Other Swedish companies, including Lindex, MQ, Acne & Gina Tricot have also halted angora production.
Having just done a quick search online, it's evident that Marks & Spencer, Accessorize & Topshop are continuing to promote products which contain angora.
Having just done a quick search online, it's evident that Marks & Spencer, Accessorize & Topshop are continuing to promote products which contain angora.
It is worth bearing this in mind, when you next purchase some winter woolies.
