PETA Sues Australian Sheep Shearers For Verbally Abusing Sheep
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Shearing sheep is one thing, activists say, but shearing them while shouting abusive language is quite another kettle of…sheep!
That, anyway, became the main argument in a recent PETA case against Australian sheep shearers who allegedly have potty mouths, ABC News Australia reports. “I think it is conceivable that verbal abuse of an extreme nature against an animal, whether it be human, sheep or otherwise, could constitute an act of violence,” says Nicolah Donovan, president of Lawyers for Animals.
PETA filed the case along with video taken by an undercover operative at Boorungie Station, where sheep are sheared in New South Wales, but a local chapter of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals disallowed the video for reasons that aren’t clear.
So the case turned on alleged verbal abuse, and PETA lost. “I still haven’t had a sheep come to me (to complain)—they didn’t even look offended to me after they were shorn,” says Ken Turner, who runs Boorungie Station, 9 News reports. “I thought, is this a joke? Is this April Fools? It’s just sad because there possibly are legitimate cases that should be investigated.”
Some media outlets poked fun at the story, with 9 News running the headline “How Dare Ewe: Shear Rudeness Against Sheep” and Huffington Post leading with, “Get the flock out of here!” But some graziers admit that livestock work requires intimidation, and activists say that can amount to cruelty: Sheep feel “the threat inherent in the way that voice is used,” says one. “I believe they can absolutely comprehend emotion.”
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I swear the media and wool industry seems intent on not letting the truth get in the way of a good story.
If foul language were the worst kind of abuse that sheep in Australian shearing sheds had to endure, then PETA US would not have filed a complaint regarding a sheep farm in New South Wales in the first place.
The fact is that PETA US’s complaint late last year detailed instances in which shearers working at Boorungie Station punched sheep in the face, punched a lamb in the torso, stomped and stood on sheep’s heads and necks, struck them with a pipe and electric clippers until they bled, picked up one sheep by the hind legs and threw her head first through a gate, and crudely stitched up gaping wounds without any pain relief. And yes, one shearer was cursing at the animals as he beat them – but this swearing gets all the coverage? This is far from an isolated case: Investigators visited 19 separate shearing sheds in Australia and observed cruelty in every single one.
It is clearly easier for sheep farmers to make absurd claims than to address the real issue: the pervasive cruelty to vulnerable sheep within the wool industry. Since the wool industry isn’t going to do the right thing, the rest of us can – simply by leaving wool out of our wardrobes and choosing cotton, synthetic fleece and other animal-friendly vegan fabrics.
Thanks for this. I will publish an update to the original story tomorrow. Much appreciated….