Why don't vegans wear wool?

Question

Maybe I am wrong and they do, but I don't think vegans would wear wool. I understand they don't want to use any product that exploits animals, but I've always thought that sheep like to sheared in some way-because their wool is too hot in the summer and that it is just like a hair cut in that it doesn't actually hurt them. Am I wrong in thinking this way?

Answer 1

What happens to a sheep when it is no longer good for wool? The same thing that happens to a cow when it is no longer good for giving milk. It is slaughtered without mercy.

Sheep neither like to, nor need to be shaved.

We Americans are very strange in that we think any person or animal needs to shed all their clothes or all their fur to be "cool."

Ever see desert dwellers? They cover all up and stay much cooler than those red-faced, sweating individuals in their shorts and tank tops.

I used to groom dogs. Did you know you can send a persian or siberian husky (or other furry coated critter) into shock by depriving them of their fur during the summer? They are designed to be insulated. That means from both heat AND cold. Shaving them of their coat, their bodies are unable to maintain their natural temperature.

On the subject of sheep Many sheep are mutilated to create the best wool. "Mulesing" is to cut out skin that is wrinkled. Gotta get every inch of wool that we possibly can.

This is done without the benefit of anesthetic. As is castration and tail docking.

Then, sheep who have been deprived of their coats, that which helps them regulate their body temp - are packed into overheated trucks for butchering afterwards. Many don't survive.

Have care poking around the link below. Some of the photos are very graphic.

Answer 2

Well, a lot of wool is from the Australian wool trade, which is cruel and rather bloody. Vegans just don't use anything that came from an animal, even if the animal was not exploited. I mean, would we like it if our hairdressers made cardigans out of our hair and sold them? I am vegetarian, but wear the occasional wool item, providing the wool is not from Australia. I can see where you're coming from, since it doesn't really hurt the sheep.

Answer 3

Consider this:

For instance, some vegans do not wear wool because they believe it contributes to animal suffering.

These vegans often cite how scientists have bred sheep over the years to generate unnatural amounts of wool for human needs. This breeding has resulted in the Merino sheep of today, which often has enough wool to equal its body weight.

As a result of this counter-evolutionary trait, the Merino sheep that exists today often has far more wool than it needs, which is evidenced by the high amount of sheep that die of heat exhaustion. In addition to overheating in hot temperatures, many sheep end up freezing to death after they are sheared.

The wool shearing process can also cause quite a bit of suffering for the sheep. Almost a quarter of all wool sheared from sheep is "skin wool," which is so close to the sheep’s skin that it is actually must be torn off.

If you currently are a vegetarian for ethical reasons, take some time to consider whether or not wearing wool compromises your commitment to end or at least stop contributing to animal suffering.

For some vegetarians, wearing wool is just as bad as eating meat; and for others, it simply isn’t an issue because they do not believe it causes an unreasonable amount of suffering. Which are you?

Answer 4

Many animals, including sheep, adapt to their living conditions, meaning that in the winter they will grow more wool and in the summer they will grow less. Besides, there is a lot of abuse that goes on "behind the scenes" and vegans for animal rights don't believe that anyone should take anything from an animal, which includes wool.

Answer 5

Vegans wont use any product that came from an animal, whether it causes them pain or not. They wont eat honey, they wont eat infertile eggs, they wont wear wool or silk, etc. While sheep DO need to be sheared it is mostly only due to the horrid conditions they live in (where they're matted with their own feces, etc). Still, Industrial shearing is far from careful. Sheep are injured, but mostly they are just kept in less than ideal conditions just like any other animal used in industrial farming. From what I understand of veganism, they don't believe we should use anything produced by animals. We should let them live their lives naturally and we should do the same... without interfering with them.

I am not vegan. But that's what I understand their views to be.

Answer 6

You see these products can support the meat industry, as they keep sheep alive for wool, they need more sheep to make wool so they get a male sheep, but what happens when the female sheep gives birth to a male sheep? Farmers slaughter most male sheep. Using commercial wool is supporting the meat industry.

Answer 7

I stopped wearing wool after seeing photos of
shaven merino sheep that had skin infested
with parasites. Also, a friend of mine in Florida
told me of how she witnessed a guy throw
down and kick a sheep. Even writing about this
makes me teary eyed.

Answer 8

Well... if you really want to know, you can watch this video on how we get wool. It isn't pretty though. I think that this is where about 70% or so of US wool comes from.

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=save_the_sheep

Answer 9

Some believe that the animals are treated poorly in their pens and are only exploited for their wool. Even though they're not killed, they're sole purpose for existance is to provide wool, and that idea doesn't sit so well with vegans.

Answer 10

they genetically modify them to get more folds in their skin so they create more wool.The more folds,the more wool.Plus,anywhere a profit can be made using animals,I'm sure it is guarenteed to have animal cruelty involved.