THE PROBLEM

Animals are systematically mutilated to limit the amount of injury they can cause each other. A hot blade is used to cut beaks, horns and tails and male piglets are castrated (without anaesthesia) in order to avoid unpleasant odours in the meat.

Sows, hens, rabbits and calves are confined in small, bare iron cages that completely deny them the right to walk, fly or jump.

In farms and slaughterhouses we have often documented the use of sticks, kicks and blows to move animals, even wounded animals. Small animals are even thrown.

Inside farms, animals are forced to live under conditions of horrendous overcrowding. These conditions create high levels of psychological and physical stress and promote the spread of diseases.

Animals are killed by having their throats slit after being stunned by a bolt gun to the brain, an electric shock or in a gas chamber. In many cases, their throats are slit while they are still conscious.

Left languishing in corridors or in their own faeces, wounded or sick animals die in agony on farms without the necessary veterinary care.

The meat we eat comes from animals that are killed when still very young, most of them only a few weeks old.

On factory farms, no mothers get to raise their children: chickens and hens never even see them, calves are taken from their mothers a few hours after birth while sows and piglets spend only 20 days together.

A terrifying number (so high it is not even calculated) of marine animals are caught in the ocean or bred on intensive fish farms. Millions die of suffocation or are gutted while they are still alive.

The only time animals get to see the outside world is when they’re heading to the slaughterhouse. Terrified, they are loaded onto trucks and then travel sometimes thousands of miles, in often dramatic conditions.

By fur, we refer not only to whole garments made of fur but also fur trims that are applied to the garments. Various species are used by this industry: minks, foxes, stoats, chinchillas, raccoons and in some parts of the world even dogs, cats and seals. Approximately 85% of the fur on the market comes from fur farms, while the remainder comes from wild animals that are hunted for their fur.

This is the most widely used animal product in the clothing industry. Leather is mainly derived from the killing of cattle, which may be reared purely for this purpose. They are not the only victims, however: various kinds of deer, horses and other exotic animals are also slaughtered for their skin.

Feathers and down used to fill jackets, pillows or duvets come from geese reared using intensive methods, particularly in Eastern European countries and France. Several times in their lives, these geese are subjected to ‘live plucking’, during which the workers hold the animals between their knees and violently tear out their feathers by hand. This operation causes a huge amount of pain and stress for the geese.

PH. SOKO TIERSCHUTZ ©

Breeds capable of producing an unnatural amount of wool are selected. This characteristic, that allows for intensive production, creates numerous problems for the sheep such as parasitic infestations, excessively heavy fleeces and temperature changes. Around the age of 4, when the sheep start to become less productive and the quality of the wool begins to diminish, they are sent to the slaughterhouse to be replaced with younger animals.

PH. PETA ©

Lions, hippos, tigers, elephants, giraffes, zebras and horses, as well as seals and parrots, are the species most commonly used in circuses. In order to perform in shows, the animals undergo training that violates their nature and humiliates their bodies. When they are not being forced into performing humiliating stunts, they are shut into small cages or pens, or crammed into trucks and moved hundreds of kilometres from one city to another.

Species conservation, scientific and educational research. These are the stated aims of zoos, bioparks, wildlife parks and zoo safaris and still justify their existence. Despite the alleged or actual purposes claimed by these facilities, confining animals in artificial environments that do not suit the needs of their species (the ability to move freely, hunt, hide, mate and play) means that to all intents and purposes, these places are prisons.

Even if condemned to a life in captivity, animals are forced to reproduce in zoos because every newborn animal is a baby to be put on display and advertised. Older individuals, on the other hand, are killed because there are too many of them or they represent less attractive species. This logic, and all the commercial moves undertaken to attract more and more visitors, expose the true nature of these places: they are businesses.

Like zoos, aquariums impose on animals a monotonous existence in which their ethological needs are continually suppressed by imprisonment. Dolphinariums, like circuses, offer anachronistic entertainment based on the use of animals instead of the talents of acrobats who spontaneously choose to engage in this activity.

The animals used in experiments are born and raised on specialist farms. Arrival in the laboratory simply means a transition from one cage to another. They will never see sunlight, know the outside world or feel grass under their feet.

Although the use of anaesthesia is imposed by law, in Italy increasing numbers of experiments are carried out in derogation, i.e. it is considered that anaesthesia could invalidate the results. This also happens for invasive and highly painful tests.

PH. JO-ANNE MC ARTHUR / WE ANIMALS ©

Genetically modified mice and rats are now among the most widely used animals, with the aim of ensuring a more realistic model. As a result, the research begins even before the experiment itself, with the creation of animals and tests on their biological response.

Genetically modified mice and rats are now among the most widely used animals, with the aim of ensuring a more realistic model. As a result, the research begins even before the experiment itself, with the creation of animals and tests on their biological response.

Although cosmetics testing is banned, millions of animals across the EU are still subjected to painful injections, inhalations and forced feeding to test the toxicity of detergents and household products.

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Most of the research concludes with the killing of the animals and the autopsy. Their short life of pain ends up in the trash, just like the syringes, bottles and other objects used in experiments.

PH. CHANNEL 4 ©