http://www.greatdreams.com/eeyore/eeyore.htm
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"Cows were once held sacred in India,
but demand for cheap leather has spawned a grotesquely cruel underground industry. Because it is illegal to slaughter cows in most of the country, corrupt skin-traders use bribes to smuggle the animals at night across state borders. The cows and calves, who are bought under the pretense that they’ll live out their lives on rural farms, are instead marched for days to slaughter in direct violation of the Constitution of India. Those who collapse have chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes and their tails broken in an effort to keep them moving.
A common source of hide for ahinsak footwear is dairies! Since male calves are of no use to dairy owners, some are sold for slaughter, while others are intentionally starved to death so that their skin can be sold to ahinsak manufacturers.
The Indian leather trade has become the target of animal activists around the world who agree with Mahatma Gandhi’s belief that "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals". In addition, PETA’s campaign to expose the horrific conditions that Indian cattle are kept in during transport has drawn the attention and support of numerous celebrities.
Superstar Pamela Anderson Lee appears in PETA’s video of the Indian leather trade, shot during visits by PETA’s president, Ingrid Newkirk, to Tamul Nadu, Kerala, Mumbai and other states. Rocker Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders turned her latest concert tour into a protest tour, demonstrating outside of stores that purchase Indian leather. Hynde was arrested in New York after climbing into the display window of a store and destroying jackets made from Indian cows.
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has written to the Indian Prime Minister, asking for protection for these animals, as has Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, urging the prime minister to enforce existing laws that would protect the cows. Musician Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker also sent a letter to the prime minister saying, "Without animal protection, the principle of dharma is in a state of collapse".
Animal-free "leather", called "pleather", is growing rapidly in popularity overseas and has become a major trend in the United States and Europe. Many celebrities, including Woody Harrelson, Drew Barrymore and Alicia Silverstone, are setting stylish and compassionate trends by choosing synthetic materials over real animal skins. Famous designers, including Todd Oldham and Stella McCartney, use "pleather" instead of cow skin, and animal-free synthetics are becoming available everywhere, from the most expensive boutiques to discount shoe outlets.
Buying leather directly supports the misery of the slaughterhouse. Statistics from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Council for Leather Exports conclude the value of leather exports from India is 10 times more than the value of its meat exports, and with India as the largest leather manufacturer in the world, cows, buffaloes, and other animals suffer cruel slaughter just for their skins.
Believe it or not, India's treatment of cows and cattle is among the cruelest in the world. Since it is illegal to kill healthy, young cattle, they are often deliberately maimed. Their legs are often broken or they are poisoned so that they can be declared fit for slaughter.
Cattle are tied together with ropes through their pierced noses and beaten mercilessly in forced "death marches" over hundreds of kilometres and transported in appalling conditions, crammed on top of each other into lorries in the searing Indian heat. They trample one another and suffer and die from suffocation and horn gouges. The lorries careen across the kilometers on bumpy dirt and gravel roads and mountain passes, pitching the cows around and causing more injury and death.
During the marches, cattle collapse from hunger, exhaustion, injury and despair. Handlers force them along by snapping their tails at each joint and rubbing tobacco, chilies and salt into their eyes. Each snap brings pain analogous to that of breaking a finger. They are never offered food or even as much as a drop of water.
By the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse, some are dead and many are so sick and injured that they must be dragged inside. A closer look at the animals still conscious reveals sheer terror, indicated by their fur standing on end. Once inside, their throats are slit in front of their companions. Some have their legs hacked off whil estill conscious or suffer the agony of being skinned alive.
Update: April, 2000:
GAP announces a ban on using Indian and Chinese leather
"While the cows were being loaded, I could hear the gurgling of one cow choking on her own blood. The rope in her nose had been improperly placed, and with the constant tugging on it by rough handlers, as well as being tethered to her fellow cattle during the 12-hour march, it had ripped through her nose, and blood was pouring down her face".
—PETA investigator
The Role of the Dairy Business
A common source of hide for ahinsak footwear is dairies! Since male calves are of no use to dairy owners, some are sold for slaughter, while others are intentionally starved to death so that their skin can be sold to ahinsak manufacturers.
