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The trade in cat and dog skin is not specifically part of the fur trade, since these
animals are killed mainly for their skin rather than their fur, though dogs
killed in Thailand are also used for meat and animal feed, lard, and
aphrodisiacs. The place and the products are different but the suffering is
the same.
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The dog and cat skin trade is, like the fur trade, global in scope.
Manufacturers that use cat skins from the Philippines and dog skins from
Thailand may also be using the skins of dogs and cats killed in China and other
countries. Any of these skins could be used in products sold worldwide. |
PHILLIPINE CAT SLAUGHTER
In the Phillipines investigators visited
a cat slaughterhouse where as many as 100 cats are killed and skinned in one
day. Some skins are exported to Japan for use on
drums and guitars. Only male cats are killed for their skins because the
nipples of female cats reduce the usable size of the skin. This has led to a
scarcity of male cats in the city where the slaughterhouse is located, and
collectors now drive to distant cities to round up cats in the street.
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of these animals are strays, but according to sources in the Phillipines, most
are stolen pets. The cats are stuffed into sacks and driven to the
slaughterhouse, a journey that can last up to six hours, without food or
water. While the owners of the cat slaughter operation are extremely wary of
strangers, investigators were eventually able to get inside the facility.
They found cats crammed into cages, some trying in vain to escape, others
paralyzed with fear.
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In 1996 the Philippine secretary of agriculture was quoted as saying the
slaughter of cats was legal so long as the animals are humanely killed.
There is nothing humane about the killing, one by one, cats are hung from
their necks by ropes while other cats watch helplessly, the rope is pulled tighter and tighter as they struggle and slowly
suffocate.
The cats are then skinned, and the skins thrown into ice water. Later,
workers scrape off the fat, then salt and fold the skins in preparation for
packing and shipping.
THAILAND DOG SLAUGHTER
The slaughter of the dogs in Thailand is primarily for the skin trade, although the government of Thailand largely disapproves of slaughtering
dogs, as do most Thais, massive numbers of dogs are killed in the lucrative
trade for dog flesh, hide, and other body parts. Investigators documented
the slaughter of dogs in the vicinity of Sakhon Nakhon in northeast Thailand
, where many different breeds of dogs collected from all over the country are
brought to be killed. One estimate is that 30,000 dogs are
killed in the area monthly. Many of them puppies.
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Dogs are brought into Sakhon Nakhon from other villages, crammed
as densely as possible into a cage on the back of the collector’s truck. The
journey can take up to three days, and the dogs are denied food and water
during the trip. By the time they reach the slaughterhouse many are sick,
and
some are dead. But their weakened state makes the dogs easier to kill. |
It wasn’t easy for investigators to get inside the slaughterhouse
because police investigations and unfavourable press reports have made
workers suspicious of strangers. But the investigators eventually succeeded.
There, they watched as workers sorted dog skins in the dim light.
The next night they
watched a truck arrive at the slaughterhouse carrying 70 dogs-mixed
breeds, German shepherds, and others. Some, possibly strays were shy and
frightened. Others possibly stolen pets looked well groomed and
trusting. All met the same fate.
Two men with heavy sticks stood ready atop the roof of a low structure
onto which the dogs were unloaded. One dog after another, howling in
terror, was pulled from the truck with a wire noose attached to a wooden
catch pole. In plain view of the animals still inside the truck, each
dog was clubbed several times over the head and on the nose. The dogs
screamed in pain. The victims were then thrown to the ground and dragged
off by other workers to an area where their throats were slit. |
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In graphic footage, investigators
captured some dogs still moving their tails just before their throats were
cut.
There is no evidence of cats being used as part of the Thailand skin trade.
HOW DOG AND CAT SKINS ARE USED
A German company dealing in cat fur and skins openly uses cat skin products
as rheumatism aids. They make bandages, pulse warmers, and a variety of
so-called “medicinal” products. Dog skins are also sold in Germany as
orthopedic products.
Elsewhere, dog and cat skins are not quite so visible. Just as labeling is a
problem with fur - especially fur trim, knowing what kind of leather is being
used in a product can be difficult or impossible.
DOG SKIN IS OFTEN LABELLED AS;
Lamb skin, Mountain Skin,
Sakhon Nakhon lamb skin, or even "Special skin"
In a particularly gruesome twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in
Thailand, are mixed up with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew
treats
for pet dogs.
| Rawhide chew sticks
are a dog’s favourite treat. But chew sticks from Thailand contain
bits of skin from a variety of animals - including domestic dogs. These
products are sold in retail stores throughout the United Kingdom -- British dog
owners may remember that in 2001 chew sticks imported from Thailand
were contaminated with salmonella, due to dogs being ill, thousands of
boxes had to be recalled from supply from pet shops and stores all over
the U.K - and yet these products are still being exported from those
countries into the U.K. |
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Dog and cat skins are used for:
Rawhide chew toys for pets, Handbags,
Shoes, Bed sheets,
Car upholstery
Drums and musical instruments
Small leather goods
Golf gloves
Gardening gloves
“Medicinal” and orthopedic products
Insoles for shoes and boots
Sporting goods
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