Send message!"Despite knowing about the cruel mulesing mutilation of lambs used for wool in Australia, The Jones Group—which owns Anne Klein, Jones New York, Gloria Vanderbilt, and more—is turning a blind eye to cruelty to animals by continuing to sell products made from Australian wool.
Millions of gentle lambs in Australia are mutilated every year with instruments resembling gardening shears in a painful procedure called "mulesing," which is a crude and cruel attempt to reduce the risk of a maggot infestation known as "flystrike." After the mutilation, the distressed lambs are often unable to stand for days, and when they are finally able to do so, they often move sideways (as crabs do) in order to abate the pain. Humane—and superior—methods of flystrike prevention are available and in use by farmers in New Zealand and in some parts of Australia.
Because the Australian wool industry has made it clear that it does not intend to end mulesing anytime soon, the responsibility now lies with consumers and retailers to send a clear message to the Australian wool industry that responsible companies do not want their brands associated with the industry's cruelty. Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, Perry Ellis, HUGO BOSS, Kenneth Cole, PUMA, and many other companies have pledged to move away from or have implemented an outright ban on wool from mulesed lambs. Although PETA has reached out to The Jones Group numerous times about this important issue, the company continues to sell wool from mulesed lambs."
