Woman in Coat Made of ‘Baby’ Parts Urges Public to Give Leather the Boot This Mother’s Day
A member of PETA India wearing a coat adorned with the arms, legs, and heads of baby dolls carried out a protest in advance of Mother’s Day (12 May) in Agra, holding a sign that read, “Everybody Is Somebody’s Baby: Go Leather-Free.” The action aims to raise awareness of the abuse animals endure before their skin is made into coats, shoes, bags, and other items.
Cows, buffaloes, and other animals used for leather in India are often crammed into vehicles in such large numbers that their bones break. Slaughterhouse workers cut the throats of those who survive this ordeal in full view of other animals before dismembering and skinning them, often while they’re still conscious. Run-off from leather tanneries contaminates rivers and streams, harming all life there. Working in tanneries has also been linked to cancer, respiratory infections, and other illnesses in humans.
Vegan leather and other animal-friendly options are available at nearly all major shoe and clothing shops nationwide. The global “PETA-Approved Vegan” certification authenticates handbags, shoes, clothing, accessories, furniture, and home decor items made from vegan materials rather than animal-derived ones such as leather, silk, wool, fur, and feathers. Over 1000 companies worldwide are using the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo to enable socially conscious consumers in India and elsewhere to identify vegan products at a glance while shopping.
