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HOW MANY ANIMALS ARE KILLED FOR JUST ONE LEATHER JACKET OR SET OF SOFA OR CAR SEATS? I have mentioned before that animals are specially reared, raised, and killed just for specialty leather that is used in sofas, home and auto furnishings, leather jackets and purses. A number of cows needed for the production of just one set of ordinary sized sofa seats will vary, but it is definitely more than one cow and in some cases may be two to three cows. Similarly, in the case of leather seats for cars, the number of Cows sacrificed to adorn the auto seats for a car will be at least one to two cows. My Jain brothers and sisters, I ask: Do we ever stop and think what we are doing? Are we only concerned with himsa to onesensed beings but completely indifferent to the killing of fivesensed beings? Are leather furnishings that much better and comfortable that several cows have to be killed for our perceived beauty and pride of possession? We may choose to believe it or not, but by using leather and leather products in any shape or form, we are directly —not just indirectly responsible for the killing of many innocent and helpless five sensed creatures. There are hundreds of alternative materials to leather that are cheaper, beautiful, and comfortable. Leather is the skin of a live animal, which is also laced with hairs, blood, and meat. In some cases, some of these (hair, meat and blood particles) cannot be fully removed before a product is made. Have you ever smelled a leather product? It smells awful and the smell lingers on for a long time; in fact it never completely vanishes. The design and aesthetic choices are very limited in leather products.
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An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide