Farmers admitted that after shearing, many goats die of exposure to the cold wind and rain.
PETA: ‘A disturbing PETA Asia investigation — the first of its kind—reveals that workers dragged, roughly handled, threw around, mutilated, and even cut the throats of fully conscious goats, some of whom cried out, in South Africa, the world’s top mohair producer. This groundbreaking footage highlights just some of the abuse documented on all 12 of the angora goat farms the eyewitness visited…
Shearing robs goats of their natural insulation… One farmer said that at least 25 percent of goats on some farms die before their first shearing, which usually occurs when they are 6 months old. Farmers admitted that after shearing, many goats die of exposure to the cold wind and rain. One man said that in just one weekend, 40,000 goats died of exposure across South Africa. Another said that up to 80 percent of goats die after shearing on some farms.
Other goats died of injuries or of thirst after getting stuck in thorns while looking for food in farmers’ fields. Workers even sheared the rotting corpses of dead goats… Many goats were subjected to mutilation of their ears with pliers that punched sharp needles through them, causing them intense pain and, as one farmer described it, to “scream terribly.” Another farmer said his goats “shout and roll around” when castrated without anesthetics because “it’s bloody painful”.’ SOURCE…