About 10,000 rabbits are being mercilessly killed inside a fur factory in China.
Humane Society International (HSI), an animal protection charity, exposed the barbaric acts taking place inside the Chinese factory dubbed as the “House of Horror.” Allegedly, factory workers are being paid four pence (cents) for every rabbit they kill for fur.
After conducting an undercover investigation inside the factory, HSI investigators found thousands of rabbits crammed into tiny cages. The extremely small space doesn’t allow the creatures to perform natural behaviors such as running, jumping, and digging. According to HSI, the pitiful situation causes the rabbits serious psychological damage.
The cruel process of killing and skinning rabbits begins as workers yank on their ears and strike them over the head with the side of a blade. This technique is employed to knock them out before they are killed.
HSI pointed out that some rabbits were observed squirming in pain as they pull up their back legs before their throats are cut.
During the skinning process, the fur around one of the back paws is sliced away. After this, the skin is pulled from their bodies.
“The facility we found in China is a house of horror for thousands of rabbits. As their fur is being sold to the UK and other countries, it’s entirely possible that these terrified rabbits have ended up as fur bobble hats and scarves on sale in UK shops,” said Claire Bass, HSI chief executive.
In 2000, fur farming was banned in the UK, forcing retailers to import furs from other countries including China. However, HSI found no evidence that the factory has supplied rabbit fur to a retailer in the UK.
Because workers in slaughterhouses in China are underpaid and have no health and safety benefits, it is often less expensive to produce real fur items compared to synthetic ones.