The Chinese dog-leather industry
You may never buy leather again after watching this video. A deeply disturbing PETA Asia undercover investigation reveals that dogs are bludgeoned and killed so that their skin can be turned into leather gloves, belts, jacket collar trim, cat toys and other accessories to be sold around the world. Because of the lack of supply-chain traceability that is common in China and intentional mislabelling, products made of dog skin could end up anywhere in the world.
At a slaughterhouse in eastern China, the investigator filmed workers as they grabbed one dog after another around the neck with metal pinchers and bashed them over the head with a wooden pole.
It's not a quick death for these terrified animals.
Some dogs fell unconscious, while others cried out and writhed in agony. Some still struggled to breathe after their throats had been cut and as workers prepared to peel the skins from their bodies.
Dogs who were next in line for slaughter wailed and barked as a worker hit them in an effort to get them to walk slower. One employee told the investigator that this facility bludgeons and skins 100 to 200 dogs a day. When the video was shot, there were about 300 live dogs in the compound slated for slaughter.
Being sickened is not enough. Only actions will help these animals.
In November 2014, a PETA Asia investigator visited dog-leather processing plants in China and documented the process of turning dog skin into women’s fashion gloves, work gloves, and other accessories. The owner of one plant told the investigator that at the time, he had about 30,000 pieces of semi-processed dog leather in stock. Leather processed in factories such as these is sold all over the world.
Most of the world's leather comes from China, where there are no penalties for abusing animals killed for their skins. So if you buy leather, remember: there's no easy way to tell whose skin you're really getting.
It's not a quick death for these terrified animals.
Some dogs fell unconscious, while others cried out and writhed in agony. Some still struggled to breathe after their throats had been cut and as workers prepared to peel the skins from their bodies.
Dogs who were next in line for slaughter wailed and barked as a worker hit them in an effort to get them to walk slower. One employee told the investigator that this facility bludgeons and skins 100 to 200 dogs a day. When the video was shot, there were about 300 live dogs in the compound slated for slaughter.
Being sickened is not enough. Only actions will help these animals.
In November 2014, a PETA Asia investigator visited dog-leather processing plants in China and documented the process of turning dog skin into women’s fashion gloves, work gloves, and other accessories. The owner of one plant told the investigator that at the time, he had about 30,000 pieces of semi-processed dog leather in stock. Leather processed in factories such as these is sold all over the world.
Most of the world's leather comes from China, where there are no penalties for abusing animals killed for their skins. So if you buy leather, remember: there's no easy way to tell whose skin you're really getting.
The film may be offensive - but we encourage as many people as possible watching the movie and disseminates further - far and wide - the more people who know the truth, the more we help the dogs and animals in China.
Now Hollywood superstar Joaquin Phoenix is using his voice to let more people know that dogs are bludgeoned and killed so their skins can be turned into leather items to be sold around the world. Watch Joaquin’s eye-opening video:
TAKE THE PLEDGE - NOW!
Join Joaquin in speaking out against cruelly-produced leather! - sign the pledge:
The Oscar-nominated star of Gladiator, Walk the Line, Inherent Vice and many other acclaimed movies is a long-time vegan who is known for speaking out for animals, whether it’s for the billions of fish who are snatched from the oceans by humans every year or sensitive reptiles who are slaughtered for fashion - PeTA
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Are your gloves made out of DOG skin? Barbaric slaughterhouses in China use the hide of companion animals slaughtered for food to make leather goods - and they are already in UK and Europe high street stores, campaigners warn.
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- Footage shows the grim conditions in which dogs are killed and skinned
- Restaurants that serve dog sell the animal's skin to processing plants
- The skin is turned into leather products - and could be in your wardrobe
- An investigator saw workers peel the skin off dogs who were still alive
- Horrifyingly, the products may be on the way to Western shops
Leather gloves, shoes and other goods being sold in British shops and online may be made out of dogs slaughtered in horrific factories in China, it has been claimed. Dog skin produced in the slaughterhouses are used in products, labelled real leather, destined for export to the West, according to an animal rights group.
Footage taken by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shows workers stood by a door at a slaughterhouse in the northern province of Hebei. As dogs are led through the door, the men kill them with a heavy stick. Sometimes it takes several blows to finish off the unwitting animals.
Meathooks sway grimly in the foreground of the upsetting footage. PETA Asia's investigator saw workers peel the skin off dogs who were still alive.
Footage taken by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shows workers stood by a door at a slaughterhouse in the northern province of Hebei. As dogs are led through the door, the men kill them with a heavy stick. Sometimes it takes several blows to finish off the unwitting animals.
Meathooks sway grimly in the foreground of the upsetting footage. PETA Asia's investigator saw workers peel the skin off dogs who were still alive.
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said: 'PETA is sure that Britain, Australia and the U.S. are not exempt from the dog leather trade. 'Many British high-street retailers are importing cheap leather from China, so products made from dog skin are almost certainly on the shelves and in people's wardrobes.
'Skin looks the same, whoever it comes from, and Chinese dog killers are not likely to advertise their skins honestly, so it's impossible to tell if those leather gloves or wallets are made out of dog, cow, pig, or goat skin.
'PETA is calling on British shoppers to consider the terror that dogs and other animals endure when they're mercilessly slaughtered and make the safe, vegan choice in clothing and accessories for the holidays and every day.' Without conducting expensive DNA tests, it is virtually impossible to know exactly what kind of animal leather is made from.
'Skin looks the same, whoever it comes from, and Chinese dog killers are not likely to advertise their skins honestly, so it's impossible to tell if those leather gloves or wallets are made out of dog, cow, pig, or goat skin.
'PETA is calling on British shoppers to consider the terror that dogs and other animals endure when they're mercilessly slaughtered and make the safe, vegan choice in clothing and accessories for the holidays and every day.' Without conducting expensive DNA tests, it is virtually impossible to know exactly what kind of animal leather is made from.
The
organisation said it visited three slaughterhouses and six processing
plants in central China during a year-long investigation into the
slaughter of dogs and the production of dog skin.
A dog slaughterer told PETA Asia's investigator that the facility bludgeoned and skinned 100 to 200 dogs a day. About 300 dogs are kept in the compound, and some can be seen frantically climbing over one another in an attempt to escape the packed holding cell. Although the dog-meat industry in China is well known, this is the first time that the production of Chinese dog leather has been captured on camera.
News agency Reuters confirmed the use of dog skin during a visit to an open-air leather processing workshop, where workers stretched washed hides to dry in the sun.
With dog meat restaurants popular in many parts of the country, several establishments later sell the animals' skin to leather producers, workers at the Hebei workshop said. 'There are restaurants that sell dog meat and people that eat dog meat,' said one leather producer, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
'These places have a person who specially comes and collects the skins; they'll go to each place and take a few,' he said, referring to the producers. 'It happens all over the country.'
Officials of the quasi-governmental China Leather Industry Association declined to be interviewed, saying they had no knowledge of dogs being used in leather production. The Ministry of Agriculture did not respond to repeated requests for interview on conditions in the slaughtering industry, which it oversees.
A dog slaughterer told PETA Asia's investigator that the facility bludgeoned and skinned 100 to 200 dogs a day. About 300 dogs are kept in the compound, and some can be seen frantically climbing over one another in an attempt to escape the packed holding cell. Although the dog-meat industry in China is well known, this is the first time that the production of Chinese dog leather has been captured on camera.
News agency Reuters confirmed the use of dog skin during a visit to an open-air leather processing workshop, where workers stretched washed hides to dry in the sun.
With dog meat restaurants popular in many parts of the country, several establishments later sell the animals' skin to leather producers, workers at the Hebei workshop said. 'There are restaurants that sell dog meat and people that eat dog meat,' said one leather producer, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
'These places have a person who specially comes and collects the skins; they'll go to each place and take a few,' he said, referring to the producers. 'It happens all over the country.'
Officials of the quasi-governmental China Leather Industry Association declined to be interviewed, saying they had no knowledge of dogs being used in leather production. The Ministry of Agriculture did not respond to repeated requests for interview on conditions in the slaughtering industry, which it oversees.
PETA and other rights groups say dogs are slaughtered throughout the country, with regulations on animal slaughter poorly enforced. Dog skin yields a tough leather of generally poorer quality than that of sheep or cows, but which is also cheaper to make.
The plants PETA visited were producing leather for export, said Haleigh Chang, one of the organisation's representatives. 'One owner of a processing plant told us they export dog skin as lamb skin,' she said, adding that lack of transparency on the part of producers made it hard to estimate the size of the dog skin sector within the overall leather industry.
China has faced criticism for its treatment of animals, including bears, whose bile is used in traditional medicines. Tigers are also bred and killed, in some areas, for their pelts and bones - source
The plants PETA visited were producing leather for export, said Haleigh Chang, one of the organisation's representatives. 'One owner of a processing plant told us they export dog skin as lamb skin,' she said, adding that lack of transparency on the part of producers made it hard to estimate the size of the dog skin sector within the overall leather industry.
China has faced criticism for its treatment of animals, including bears, whose bile is used in traditional medicines. Tigers are also bred and killed, in some areas, for their pelts and bones - source
A dog is led out into the slaughteryard in the Chinese factory. A man with a stick stands ready to kill it. Other animals lie dead on the ground. Sometimes it takes several blows to finish off the unwitting animals.
The carcasses of dogs hang in the slaughteryard, the ground thick with their blood. PETA Asia's investigator saw workers peel the skin off dogs who were still alive.
Cruel hand: A pile of dog corpses on the back of a van. Their skin is being used to make gloves, shoes and other leather products at a factory in China, reports an animal rights charity.
Dog hides drying in a room in the Hebei factory. PETA and other rights groups say dogs are slaughtered throughout the country, with regulations on animal slaughter poorly enforced.
News agency Reuters confirmed the use of dog skin during a visit to an open-air leather processing workshop, where workers stretched washed dog skins, to dry in the sun.
Officials of the quasi-governmental China Leather Industry Association declined to be interviewed, saying they had no knowledge of dogs being used in leather production.