Silk : ATAAC

Animal Issues
Animals We Eat Fast Facts Live Animal Export Factory Farming Animals We Exploit Circuses Zoos Horse Racing Rodeos Animals We Test On Dissection Vivisection Animals We Wear Fur Leather Silk Wool Dog & Cat Fur Exotic Skins Hunting Animals Animals We Neglect Say No To Animals In Pet Shops

International Issues
Animals In The Ocean Whaling Dolphin Massacre Tuna Crisis Shark Finning Seal Clubbing Animals On The Land Bear Farming Bear Baiting Dancing Bears Orangutan Crisis Stray Dog Crisis

Cruelty Free Living
Companies Animal Friendly Animal Testing Nutrition Change Your Life NOW Vegetarian & Vegan

Silk

Monday, 07 January 2008

THE SAD LIFE OF THE SILK WORM

Not many people associate silk with animal cruelty, however the suffering of hundreds of thousands of silkworms is foremost in the production of clothings, sheets and anything else made of silk.
A half kilo of silk requires the death of 3000 silkworms.
Like any backyard moth or butterfly, silkworms have a number of life stages including spending considerable time within a cocoon-it is from this that silk is made.
To get the worms out of their cocoons, they are steamed, gassed or boiled and thrown in alive.
Once the female moth lays eggs, she is crushed to check for diseases. If she has any sign of disease her eggs are destroyed.
After mating, male moths are dumped into a basket and thrown out. Because of generations of inbreeding, they no longer have the ability to fly. Birds commonly pick at them from bins outside the manufacturing centres.
Most people dont think of a silkworn as something worth getting excited about, since it is neither cute or cuddly, but the fact is they can still suffer pain. And for that reason alone, they deserve our attention.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

The simplest way you can help silkworms is by not buying silk products. There are pleanty of cheaper and cruelty-free alternatives to silk that can be easily found.
Let your friends and family know how silk is made, and if your really keen and you know of shops that stock silk products, write to them and let them know they are supporting the cruel silk industry and they should reconsider stocking it.