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for an Australian wool industry where this misery has become standard practice. Australia is the largest producer of wool in the world, with most of it coming from merino sheep. These sensitive animals are specifically bred to have extra-wrinkly skin, which produces more wool for the industry to push onto global markets. Those wrinkles collect moisture and lead to a hideous condition called “flystrike,” in which blowflies lay eggs in the folds of the sheep's skin and resulting maggots eat their flesh, sometimes all the way to the bone. Rather than making sensible and humane efforts to prevent the condition, Australian farmers perform a dreadful procedure called “mulesing,” in which chunks of flesh from around lambs' tails are cut using instruments resembling gardening shears. The mutilated lambs stumble away in pain with raw, bloody wounds. This cruel practice is just the beginning of a lifetime of escalating pain and fear inflicted on these naturally gentle and playful animals. Once their wool production declines, many sheep are exported to the Middle East or North Africa on sweltering, multi-story ships crammed full of terrified animals who are forced to live amidst their own filth for weeks. Many die en route: some are trampled to death, and others perish slowly from illness. When sheep or goat is ready to be sheared, this is done by automated machines these days. The sheep is tranquilized and held tightly in the shearing machine (so that it cannot move). The animal is frightened and the automatic machine does the shearing. Since the outside body of the sheep is not smooth (it is curvy and with some bones protruding) the machine severely injures the skin with major cuts, bruises and bleeding. The helpless creature suffers lots of pain and injury. Some wounds become septic and about 10 % or so sheep are so severely injured that they are killed right way. Every year this cycle goes on. When a sheep cannot produce economical quantity of
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
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