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Press release Dec 12, 2000
HSUS Investigation Reveals Slaughter of Unborn and Newborn Lambs for Fur
Dateline NBC Features Undercover Investigation Documenting Animal Cruelty
WASHINGTON—The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) revealed the results of a year-long international undercover investigation documenting the animal cruelty associated with producing broadtail, also called Persian lamb or karakul, fur on last night's Dateline NBC.
Broadtail fur is produced by killing pregnant karakul sheep and skinning unborn and newborn karakul lambs. The fur of fetal lambs is wavy, lightweight and flat in texture, resembling crushed velvet. The fur of newborn lambs is tightly curled and glossy. Fetal lamb fur is most valuable and highly prized by furriers, who manufacture the fur into jackets, coats, dresses, and trim on other garments. Fur industry representatives claim that the fur is the byproduct of the slaughter of these animals for meat or is removed from the dead bodies of lambs who are spontaneously aborted, but videotape evidence gathered by HSUS investigators, and statements made to investigators by karakul ranchers in Uzbekistan prove that these animals are bred and killed specifically to supply the luxury fur market, in Europe and the U.S.
"I was taken to a farm near Bukhara, Uzbekistan, with over 10,000 karakul sheep," said Rick Swain, HSUS vice president of investigative services. "There I witnessed absolute indifference to animal suffering as I saw pregnant and newborn lambs inhumanely slaughtered and skinned. These animals were not killed for food, but for fashion."
Major findings of the HSUS investigation include:
An estimated four to five million karakul lambs are killed each year for their fur. Since the victims of this fashion also include the pregnant sheep, the actual death toll may be much higher.
Major broadtail fur producers include Uzbekistan, where the industry originated, Afghanistan, Kazakstan, Namibia, South Africa, and other Central Asian nations. Major consumers of broadtail fur include France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavian nations, and the United States. Import statistics for this type of fur are sketchy, but The HSUS estimates that U.S. furriers import over one million dollars worth of broadtail fur products every year.
Broadtail fur is used to produce a wide variety of garments. Most common are jackets and coats, but designers have recently used broadtail to manufacture dresses, skirts, pants and boots.
Broadtail Lamb Fur Investigation
Fetal lamb fur —"broadtail" —has a luminous sheen and is described as resembling watered silk. There are gradations of pelt character, depending on the stage of development. For example, fur taken from a fetus 15 days before natural birth is flatter and lighter than that of a fetus taken five days before birth.
A coat made of fetal broadtail lamb fur retails for up to $25,000. Other broadtail fur garments range in price up to several thousand dollars.
Broadtail production during the 1990s was down from approximately seven million pelts per year in the 1980s and about 10 million per year in the 1970s, but the recent upswing in runway broadtail fashions and statements from fur industry representatives that "karakul is hot" may create a revival of this fur if consumers are not made aware of the animal cruelty behind broadtail production.
Since the pelts of the unborn and newborn lambs are so small, numerous animals must die to create even one garment. HSUS investigators counted 30 pelts in one full-length black karakul coat.
Designers using broadtail fur include Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Chrisian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Versace, and Yves Saint Laurent. Retailers in the U.S. include fur salons and major department stores including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The karakul sheep are known to form close bonds with their young, which Swain says makes the practice of killing the newborn lambs all the more abhorrent.
"Fur industry representatives and retailers are hoping that broadtail fur will be a sought after holiday gift for the privileged few," concluded Swain. "I hope that they will consider what I saw in Uzbekistan and choose to resist the sales and advertising ploys of the fur industry."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Howard White: (301) 258-3072
Karen L. Allanach: (301) 548-7778
NOTE: Videotape documentation of The HSUS' investigation is available. Contact HSUS Media Relations at (301) 258-3072 or (301) 548-7778 to obtain a copy or to schedule an interview with Rick Swain or other HSUS experts. For more information on The HSUS' investigation of broadtail fur or on The HSUS' campaign against fur fashions, visit our website.
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