Rabbits Hit, Hung Up, and Skinned Alive in the Chinese Fur Trade
Every single fur farm that PETA Asia has visited in China—the world’s top fur exporter—has been beyond cruel: Investigators have witnessed and documented foxes being electrocuted, dogs bludgeoned to death, and raccoon dogs skinned alive. Now, a look into three massive rabbit fur farms and a slaughterhouse in China reveals that rabbits are forced to live in cramped, filthy cages before finally being strung up and skinned—sometimes while still alive.
PETA Asia’s investigator found that terrified rabbits lived in urine-encrusted cages with feces piled up underneath them. One farm housed at least a thousand animals, and the other two had several thousand each.
Rabbits are usually killed for their fur when they’re just 6 months old. Some—like this one below—are kept for breeding, but their babies will be killed.
Most of the rabbits were kept outside in all weather extremes.
The investigator didn’t see any rabbits receive veterinary care for skin problems or leg injuries, which is not uncommon on fur farms in China and around the world. This rabbit had a hind leg injury and was limping.
Rabbits arrived at the slaughterhouse in cramped wire cages stacked on flat-bed trucks. As seen in the video above, workers left them to struggle and thrash wildly after smacking them on the head with the back of a knife, hanging them upside down, and slitting their throats. They weren’t checked for signs of life before being skinned, and some were still kicking and twitching as the skin was torn off their bodies.
Help Stop Fur-Farm Cruelty
This case is hardly an anomaly: A previous PETA Asia investigation into a Chinese fur farm revealed that rabbits were shocked with electrical devices, causing them to scream in pain. No matter where it comes from—China or anywhere else in the world—fur is always the product of a cruel industry.
The most important thing that you can do to help end cruelty in the fur trade is to refuse to wear or buy fur, and urge your family members and friends to do the same. Share this video and sign PETA’s fur-free pledge today!
You can also support PETA’s vital work for rabbits, foxes, minks—and all animals—by making a much-needed donation right now.
