The cruelty with which animals in China are treated to suit clothing designer’s interests is a matter of contention. These animals are slaughtered and killed in ways that evoke feelings of empathy across the world (Spencer, 2006). People who love animals especially the furred animals are hysterically moved by the nature of treatment these animals receive (Reno, 2014). Most traumatizing is the indifference with which these designers treat these animals without being mindful of the suffering and misery they go through. Thus, from a sociological perspective, this issue of animal abuse in the clothing industry in China has a negative impact on society and demonstrates the need for increased empathy. This will be apparent through the following aspects: animal, human, law and ecological system.
The fur animals in China do not only face suffering during death, but they live with it throughout their entire lives. They spend most of their lives in metallic barren cages which because them to develop abnormal behavior. The situation is even worse in the farms as the animals are subjected to total misery which includes infections, deformities and injuries. According to Jan Creamer, ADI Chief Executive, some people in the fashion industry have decided to veil their hearts and eyes to the raging truth about production of fur (Reno, 2014). Indeed even the strongest will be moved when they visit some of the scenes where fur is harvested. Rabbits, dogs and cats, are mercilessly and helplessly tortured to death by people who have no sense of empathy for these animals. According to a report given by some of the undercover investigators, some animals are not yet dead and are desperately struggling for their lives as some workers enjoy skinning them while they hang on their tails or legs (Meredith, 2013). These animals helplessly kick their legs and writhe in untold agony as they are being skinned. Once they have finished skinning the animal, they throw its bloody, naked body in a heap of other animals that have been skinned the same way before them. Even in that heap of skinless animals, some of the skinned animals are observed to blink slowly and struggle faintly for gasps of breath (Ascione, 2005).
The conditions of the Chinese fur farms make the highest level of mockery to the most fundamental standards of animal welfare. Farmers only care about maintaining the quality of their fur. They, therefore, employ any slaughter methods that will keep their pets intact without imagining the suffering caused to the animals. What is called the farm is a filthy, tiny cage made of fur with the lowest level of hygiene that can be imagined of (Strauch, 2005). These cages are filled with dirt, excrement and fur clumps. Farmers rearing foxes make them live in such ugly conditions for years and years only to kill them after some time to produce fur. The miserable lives and the unspeakable deaths of these animals are denied the little show of tenderness from the human beings. As one farmer explains, a barbiturate injection which would at least because a humane death is “too expensive” (Fur: Animals for Fashion, 2014). So he lifts each fox out of the cage by the neck using a metal noose pole, forces a conducting rod in the mouth of the animal and an electric prod through the rectum. This makes human being so heartless that they can do worse things to fellow human beings as they do to animals. Another adverse effect to human beings is the tendency to contract diseases from the dirty environment caused by heaps of the skinned animals.
A 240 volts electric current of a couple of amperes through the body of the fox is used to carry the execution. The fox closes its eyes as its body becomes rigid. A crackling sound is heard while sometimes teeth fall off after breaking. The anal probe finally falls out. This happens during the fox cries, shakes and convulses. Since the electricity does not stun the brain, the animal does not die immediately. It remains alive and experiences the full magnitude of the excruciating pain of heart attack for approximately two minutes. While one hundred and twenty seconds may seem short, it is a decade to the animal owing to the magnitude of pain and suffering it is subjected to as the electric current passes through its entire body for this long and the heat that builds up at the electrodes (Meredith, 2013). Animals trapped in the wild helplessly suffer from shock, blood loss, dehydration, gangrene, predation and frostbite. Some of them are trapped in steel-jaw traps that crash their legs, often cutting through their bones (National Trappers, 2009). Others like the Conibear traps slam on their necks applying a pressure of ninety pounds per square inch. Worst of all are the common water traps that hopelessly expose muskrats, leave-beavers and other animals to approximately nine minutes struggle for their lives before drowning to death (The Editor, 2013). Since there are no people to help them, these animals suffer all the time till they give up to death. In another instance, baby harp seals are bludgeoned using clubs that have metal hooks at the tips. Some are shot to death while others are left to suffer and die in the traps. Some of the workers do not have a little sense of kindness towards the animals at all (AWI, 2007). While they are still in the cage, the workers throw the cages to one another without considering that there is an animal inside. In the event the animal misbehaves, it is pulled out of the cage in a very ruthless manner and beaten to death. This is meant to be a punishment. In most cases, the cages are left in the open with no solar proof or anything to prevent coldly. The animal is, therefore, a victim of the conducive weather changes that take place. These farmers do not care whether rain or fall comes so long as the animals are locked up in the cages of ‘misery’. When it rains, nobody cares to get the cages in a shelter or even clean up the cage. This causes the hygienic conditions in those cages to deteriorate. Consequently, the animals suffer a lot of infections and nobody care to look at their conditions (PETA, 2014). Such treatment to animals is against the law. When such bending of law is given a blind eye in China, people in other countries will follow their greedy interests to meet their desires while animals suffer silently.
Shockingly enough, China does not impose any penalties on people involved in the cruel mistreatment of the fur animals. Moreover, penalties are not the core thing to tell human beings that they are doing wrong. What is evident in these farmers, workers and designers are people who have lost their hearts and emotions for these animals. Their instincts and sense of humanity is dead to the extent that they do not realize the misery and suffering caused to these animals. Their behavior and reactions to these animals is a true indication of people who are capable of doing anything since their sense of empathy is dead. If an innocent rabbit, dog or cat will be electrocuted, slaughtered and skinned alive as it writhes and kicks for its dear life, then the person skinning it is capable of committing worse than just killing an animal. Offered with a living human being a person will do as he does to the cats and dogs since he is used to bloodshed (Meredith, 2013). It is against any human law and ecological reason to treat animals the way they are treated in China (Sarkar, 2005). As a matter of fact, the abuse of animals in China is an ecological threat since these animals’ species risk being extinct. When people use these animals for fur production, does it not hit their mind that the animals feel pain? They also seem not to understand that the animals have a life to live. Moreover, even when circumstances dictate that they be killed, not in the manner they are killed in China. Ecologically, it is also wrong to subject animals to conditions that are not the natural habitats of the animals. That animal will start to develop strange behavior as it tries to adapt to this new environment. That notwithstanding, the unhygienic conditions subjected to the animals are by all means against the elemental standards of animal welfare. Whatever is taking place in China is a wake-up call to various parties in the world to fight against the cruel treatment of the fur animals. As this situation evokes feelings of empathy to most people, something should be done to promote the welfare of these animals. A little kindness should not be denied to these animals just like human beings would expect the same to be reciprocated to them. Moreover, human beings are rational beings and should use this advantage to make the world a better place for all creatures (Broom, 1991).
Greed can make human beings lose their sense of humanity. From the happenings in China, it is evident that some people can do anything to achieve their interests. They are compelled to propagate the inhuman acts to the helpless animals, giving a cold shoulder to their suffering and misery. This should not be the case considering that every person would fancy to be treated with tenderness. It is the sense of human, emotions of empathy and rational thinking that makes human beings different from other animals. In fact, even among animals in the jungle there exists some tinge of tenderness (Hewson, 2003). One would wonder why greed would render human beings so heartless that they can treat animals with such cruelty exhibited in China. This happens at the watch of the government, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and other members of the public. In this regard, PETA’s work in China is questionable if these deeds can be carried at their site yet they do not take any initiative to cub the vice (The Issues, 2013). Their claim to be concerned with ethical treatment of animals is just, but a mere irony written on papers but practicing the opposite in their hearts.This is a wake-up call to restore respect, sanity and kindness in the way animals are treated in China. When such things happen, people cannot afford to relax at their comfort zones and watch as animals are being denied the kindness, they deserve. Unless human beings take the initiative to fight for the rights of these animals, animals will continue to suffer quietly and helplessly (Arkow, 2003). It is time that laws covering the welfare of animals be made and implemented otherwise these vices to animals will continue to escalate to the highest degree. Let the world not folds back their arms and give a deaf ear to the silent cry of fur animals in China. Something needs to be urgently done.
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