LYNNWOOD—Goat-shaped vegan chocolates are on the way from PETA to Zumiez after the Lynnwood-based retailer confirmed it has stopped selling cashmere and mohair. PETA shared information with the company about how these industries torment goats for their coats before they’re violently killed, and Zumiez has now confirmed to PETA that its website is cashmere- and mohair-free.
“Zumiez’s compassionate decision will help spare countless goats the agony and terror of being pinned down and cut to ribbons for their coats,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges other retailers to follow Zumiez’s lead and ditch cruel cashmere and mohair.”
As herd animals, goats are happiest in the company of others and can become depressed if they’re separated or isolated from their companions. In the cashmere and mohair industries, terrified goats are pinned down and left with bloody, gaping wounds as workers quickly and carelessly shear them or tear out their hair with sharp, rake-like metal combs. Goats deemed no longer profitable are cruelly killed on farms or sent to slaughterhouses, where workers may hang them up by one leg and slit their throats.
Zumiez previously banned mohair from its house brands but has now also removed all mohair items from third-party sellers. Zumiez joins numerous worldwide retailers—including The North Face, Timberland, ASOS, and Victoria’s Secret—that have stopped selling cashmere after hearing from PETA. Over 119,000 PETA supporters have urged Madewell to follow suit.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
Source: PETA
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
One Response
OMG! Shearing sheep is actually beneficial for the sheep and for their offspring. And yes we also benefit from their wool, skin and meat in time. Maybe they can be hurt during the shearing process (which has been a mutual benefit practice for 13000 years) but I’m sure it’s not as common as PETA suggests and the majority of the sheep operations care for their sheep. My kids also scream when they have to brush their teeth and my dog runs and hides when it’s time to clip his nails (and may be depressed afterwards) but it’s life. What is wrong with these organizations for reacting to PETA? I think we are a society that has moved too far away from the farm and reality.