DEFEND ANIMALS
AROUND 90% OF THE 68 MILLION FLOCK ARE STILL MULESED IN AUSTRALIA EVERY YEAR
THE MAJORITY OF THE WORLD'S APPAREL WOOL COMES FROM AUSTRALIA WHERE MULESING IS MOST COMMON
SOURCE: FASHION UNITED
THE CURRENT SHEEP THAT WE USE FOR WOOL ORIGINATED IN SPAIN IN THE 12TH CENTURY. THE MERINO WAS IMPORTED TO AUSTRALIA WHERE THEY WERE GENETICALLY MANIPULATED THROUGH SELECTIVE BREEDING. UNLIKE WILD SHEEP MERINO SHEEP DO NOT LOSE THEIR HAIR, IT JUST KEEPS GROWING...
AUSTRALIA IS THE LEADING PRODUCER OF WOOL AND IS ALSO THE LARGEST EXPORTER
CHINA AND USA ARE THE NEXT BIGGEST WOOL PRODUCERS
THE MAJORITY OF SHEEP ARE DUAL PURPOSE BRED TO PROVIDE BOTH MEAT AND WOOL
SO ESSENTIALLY THE MEAT AND WOOL INDUSTRIES ARE INTRINSICALLY LINKED
THE WOOL INDUSTRY PRODUCES AROUND 1,160 MILLION KILOGRAMS OF CLEAN WOOL PER YEAR FROM A GLOBAL HERD OF OVER A BILLION SHEEP
SOURCE: COMMONOBJECTIVE
WITH ALL MASS EXPLOITATION AND COMMODIFICATION OF ANIMALS FOR PRODUCTS COMES EGREGIOUS WELFARE AND RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
MULESING
THE SLICING OF TWO PATCHES OF SKIN ON EACH SIDE OF THE ANUS DOWN TO THE BACK OF THE KNEE OF THE LAMB SO THAT A SCAR OF STRETCHED SKIN GROWS BACK
MULESING IS BELIEVED TO HELP PREVENT FLYSTRIKE, BUT INCREASES THE CHANCES OF VULVA CANCER AND POSSIBLY TUMORS.
SHEEP UNDERGO PAINFUL MUTILATIONS OFTEN WITHOUT ANY PAIN RELIEF...THERE'S LITTLE TO NO MENTION OF PAIN RELIEF IN THE AUSTRALIAN GUIDELINES
HORN TRIMMING
BY EITHER DISBUDDING VIA HOT IRON OR APPLYING A CAUSTIC PASTE TO PREVENT GROWTH. OR, BY DEHORNING WHICH IS THE REMOVAL OF HORNS FROM A SHEEP’S SKULL, USING ANYTHING FROM KNIVES, WIRES, SAWS OR SHEARS
REMOVAL OF HORNS CAN CAUSE TISSUE DAMAGE
HORNS ARE NECESSARY FOR THE COOLING AND THERMOREGULATION OF AN ANIMALS BODY BECAUSE THEY REGULATE THE TEMPERATURE OF BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE BRAIN. WHEN HORNS ARE SLICED OR BURNED OFF, THIS NATURAL PROCESS IS HINDERED
SOURCE: FARM TRANSPARENCY
THIS IS WHAT MERINO SHEEP LOOK LIKE IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR HORNS REMOVED
TAIL DOCKING DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN IN AUSTRALIA, IN THE UK AND USA SHEEP TAILS CAN BE DOCKED TO PREVENT FLY STRIKE
THE UK GUIDELINES ALLOW FOR LAMBS TO BE DOCKED VIA RUBBER RING OR OTHER DEVICES THAT RESTRICT BLOOD FLOW WITHOUT ANAESTHETIC WITHIN THEIR FIRST WEEK OF LIFE
IN THE USA LAMBS UNDER 6 WEEKS CAN BE DOCKED WITHOUT PAIN RELIEF, VIA RUBBER RINGS, HOT IRON CAUTERY OR SURGICAL REMOVAL
IN 2015-16 THE AVERAGE SHEEP FLOCK SIZE IN AUSTRALIA WAS 2,857
AT MOST ANIMAL SANCTUARIES THE STAFF WILL NEVER MULES OR DOCK TAILS TO PREVENT FLY STRIKE. INSTEAD, THEY KEEP THE SHEEPS BOTTOM CLEAN, GIVE DAILY CHECKS, OFFER SHELTER FROM THE HEAT OR COLD AND USE FLYSTRIKE PREVENTION TREATMENTS
TAIL DOCKING
REMOVAL OF THE TAIL BY PLACING A RUBBER BAND AROUND THE TAIL, CONSTRICTING BLOOD FLOW UNTIL EVENTUALLY THE TAIL FALLS OFF OR BY SLICING THE TAIL OFF WITH A HEATED SCARRING IRON (‘HOT KNIFE’)
IN THE AUSTRALIAN GUIDELINES, THE HOT KNIFE METHOD IS ADVISED FOR TAIL DOCKING DONE WITH MULESING
IT IS BELIEVED TO HELP PREVENT FLYSTRIKE BUT INCREASES THE CHANCES OF RECTAL PROLAPSE AND POSSIBLY TUMORS
SOURCE: ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS SHEEP
ON SANCTUARIES THE RATIO OF CARERS TO SHEEP IS MUCH HIGHER, SO CARE AND ATTENTION IS MAXIMISED. CONVERSELY, BECAUSE OF THE LARGE SIZE OF FLOCKS ON LAMB AND WOOL FARMS, IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO GIVE PROPER ATTENTION TO EACH OF THE ANIMALS, SO TAIL DOCKING AND MULESING ARE A WAY OF CUTTING CORNERS
SOURCE: ABS
CASTRATION
REMOVAL OF THE TESTICLES BY PUTTING A RUBBER BAND OVER THE SCROTUM, RESTRICTING BLOOD FLOW UNTIL EVENTUALLY THE TESTICLES DROP OFF, OR BY SLICING OPEN THE SCROTUM AND CUTTING OFF THE TESTES
SHEARERS ARE PAID BY THE NUMBER OF SHEEP SHORN, NOT BY THE HOUR. THUS, SPEED IS PRIORITISED OVER PRECISION AND ROUGH HANDLING OF SHEEP RESULTS
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SHEEP ARE PREY ANIMALS, SO TO BE HELD DOWN AND ROUGH HANDLED LIKE THIS CAUSES EXTREME FEAR AND DISTRESS
Merino sheep are often cut more easily since they have wrinkly, folded skin
THIS IS BECAUSE THEY GROW EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF WOOL
IN 2016-17, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OVER 74.3 MILLION SHEEP WERE SHORN IN AUSTRALIA
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INVESTIGATIONS THAT HAVE EXPOSED THE GRUESOME RESULTS OF FAST SHEARING
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AN AVERAGE VOYAGE TO THE MIDDLE EAST CAN TAKE ANYWHERE FROM 3-5 WEEKS
THESE SHIPS ARE OVERCROWDED AND ANIMALS ARE CONFINED IN CLOSE QUARTERS IN THEIR OWN WASTE
TEMPERATURES CAN SOAR TO EXTREME LEVELS, SO SHEEP DYING OF HEAT EXHAUSTION IS VERY COMMON
SOME SHEEP ARE SHIPPED TO COUNTRIES WITH NO SLAUGHTER GUIDELINES
MUTTON, WHICH IS MATURE SHEEP FLESH, IS NOT A HUGELY POPULAR MEAT IN AUSTRALIA SO MANY OF THESE SHEEP ARE SOLD INTO THE LIVE EXPORT TRADE...
IN 2019, 1.1 MILLION SHEEP WERE EXPORTED FROM AUSTRALIA
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THE PERMISSIBLE DEATH RATE ON SHIP BEFORE THE DEATHS HAVE TO BE REPORTED IS 1%. SO THIS MEANS THAT THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS CAN DIE AT SEA EVERY YEAR WITHOUT THE PUBLIC BEING MADE AWARE
SOURCE: GOV WESTERN AUSTRALIA
IT IS IMPORTANT TO STATE THAT NO MATTER WHETHER THESE EXPLOITED WOOL SHEEP ARE SHIPPED AWAY ON BOATS OR STAY IN THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN THEIR FATE IS MUCH THE SAME. THEY WILL ALL BE SLICED ACROSS THE THROAT, THEIR BODY CUT UP INTO PIECES AND SOLD FOR CONSUMPTION
SOURCE: AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
IN AUSTRALIA IN 2019 9,344,000 SHEEP WERE SLAUGHTERED
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SHEEP ARE GENERALLY RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS VIA ELECTRICAL STUNNING. A LOW VOLTAGE ALTERNATING ELECTRIC CURRENT IS APPLIED BY MEANS OF TWO ELECTRODES
BECAUSE ELECTRIC STUNNING DOES NOT USUALLY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE BRAIN, ANIMALS WILL REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS IF NOT QUICKLY KILLED AND BLED OUT
SOURCE: ABS
THE VAST MAJORITY OF SPENT WOOL SHEEP ARE MURDERED FOR THEIR FLESH, GENERALLY AT AROUND 5-6 YEARS OLD
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THIS IS BECAUSE THE SHEEPS WOOL PRODUCTION STARTS TO DECLINE AND SO, IS NO LONGER PROFITABLE
A SHEEPS NATURAL LIFE SPAN IS 12 YEARS BUT LIVING AS LONG AS 20 YEARS IS NOT UNCOMMON
SOME VEGAN ALTERNATIVES TO WOOL ARE; COTTON, ECO-POLYESTER FLEECE, BAMBOO FLEECE, HEMP OR LINEN
SHEEP ARE MORE INTELLIGENT AND COMPLEX THAN COMMONLY ASSUMED
STUDIES SHOW THAT SHEEP PERFORM ON PAR WITH PRIMATES AT SEVERAL HIGH-LEVEL COGNITIVE TASKS
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY CAN DISTINGUISH AND IDENTIFY FACES OF OTHER SHEEP AS WELL AS HUMANS. THEY ARE HIGHLY SOCIAL ANIMALS WITH DISTINCT PERSONALITIES, DEMONSTRATING STRONG MOTHER-OFFSPRING BONDS