Investigator’s Log Mary Wore (Warning: the following firsthand description is graphic and disturbing.) “We were taken on a tour of a karakul like structure. We saw vigorous move- a Little farm and slaughter facility outside ments in the dead sheep’s abdomen, evi- Bukhara, Uzbekistan. As we entered dently the unborn lamb kicking. Workers Lamb the slaughterhouse, we could hear pushed on the sheep’s abdomen several what sounded like the cries of lambs. times. There was no further visible A worker movement. About thirty seconds after The Truth was skinning the movement in the sheep’s abdomen a dead lamb was no longer visible, the workers about that was shackled and hoisted the sheep’s body hanging and started skinning it. After the skin Karakul from a hook. was removed, another worker tore open Against the the uterus and pulled out the lamb, hold- Lamb Fur far wall was ing it up for us to see. The worker then a pile of tossed the lamb fetus onto the floor, and HSUS investigators noted about twelve the strong bonds between we left the kill area.” dead lambs. karakul ewes and their lambs. This particular farm housed about Newborn lambs must be killed within 10,500 sheep and slaughtered several one to three days of their birth. Small, hundred each week. frail, and barely able to stand, they are fully conscious when their throats are Our investigator’s hand caresses the tiny body slit. After they are skinned, their bodies of a newborn karakul lamb. The lambs are slaughtered soon after birth before their are discarded, too small to be of any valuable curls start to unravel. use for food.

Later, we witnessed the slaughter of a pregnant ewe. She was held down, her throat slit open and stomach slashed wide to remove the developing fetus— the ‘raw material’ for broadtail fur fash- ions. Approximately two minutes after the sheep’s throat was cut, the workers picked up the now headless body by the legs and placed it on a wooden, cradle- The fur of fetal karakul lambs (left) is light- What are weight, flat, wavy, and luminous, while that of newborn lambs (below) is tightly curled. karakul sheep? Fetal fur usually commands a higher price. Karakuls are a specific breed of sheep, known for their distinctive fur. They are not generally raised as meat animals; their value lies in their coats.

The sheep are bred and slaughtered for their fur in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Namibia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and other countries in Central Asia. Although there are some What is karakul breeders in the United States, they raise the sheep as a hobby and don’t kill them lamb fur? for their fur. The textures, patterns, and colors of the coats The sheep possess a strong flocking instinct, of karakul lambs are unique among breeds of The fur goes by a variety of names. Fur from and the ewes are protective and attentive sheep, and the texture varies depending on the both fetal and newborn lambs is sometimes mothers. [Humane Society of the United age of the lamb. Lambs are born with glossy, called karakul. Fetal lamb fur is commonly States (HSUS) investigators noted the tightly curled fur, but within a few days, the known as broadtail, and fur from newborns strong bonds between ewes and their curls begin to unravel—and to lose some of is frequently referred to as Persian lamb. lambs throughout the investigation.] their monetary value. That’s why the lambs Other names include caracul, karakulcha, are slaughtered so soon after birth. The fur cha, breitschwanz, swakara, namikara, of fetal lambs is lightweight and flat. Lacking nakara, astrakhan, agnello di persia, curls but having a wavy texture and luminous and krimmer. sheen, the fur is often described as resembling watered silk or moiré. This fur, obtained from Karakul lamb fur is a significant component lambs up to about fifteen days before birth, of the fur industry as a whole, with pelt pro- usually commands a higher price than that of duction about on par with that of fox newborns, though trends in fashion dictate fur. According to industry reports, four to which is most popular from season to season. five million karakul lambs are killed each year for their pelts. The actual death toll, To retain all of the fur’s special qualities, the of course, is much higher, because for lambs are slaughtered and skinned, rather each fetal pelt, two animals must die— than simply sheared (as sheep are for wool), the mother and her unborn lamb. so that the pelts remain intact. Fur from karakul lambs is used for coats, The fur is not produced as a by-product of the jackets, skirts, pants, dresses, and trims on meat or wool industries. Though the flesh of all types of garments. The retail value of a slaughtered adult sheep is sometimes eaten, karakul lamb garment varies according to the the meat is essentially a by-product of the age of the lamb when killed. Fetal fur is the The pelts of fetal fur industry. And there is not enough flesh karakul lambs are most expensive in terms of production—in only slightly longer on the fetal and newborn lambs to be used part because two animals must die to make than a foot, so it takes sev- for food—their little bodies are simply one pelt—and garments can cost more than eral to make one coat. thrown away as garbage. continues on next page $25,000. A coat made from newborn lambs Karakul lamb fur can be found as coats, skirts, Victims of Fashion may cost $5,000 to $12,000. Designers pants, dresses, and using karakul lamb fur include trims on all types Look in any fashion magazine and you’re likely Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, of garments. A to see it: a glossy, curly, flat fur that sometimes Gucci, Carolina Herrera, Michael karakul lamb gar- looks like crushed velvet. It may appear as trim Kors, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph ment can on collars or cuffs or as a complete jacket, coat, Lauren, Prada, and Valentino. cost more or other garment. And it’s known by a host of than $25,000. High-end department stores names—karakul lamb, or more commonly, and boutiques across the broadtail or Persian lamb. What isn’t United States carry karakul commonly known is that this fur is the lamb fur garments. product of extreme cruelty.

Because the lambs are so tiny when This particular kind of fur, so prized as a slaughtered, dozens of them die luxury item, can be produced in only one to produce a full-length garment. way: By killing and skinning lambs who HSUS investigators counted are only a few days, or a few hours, old— thirty lamb pelts sewn together and even unborn lambs who are literally on one coat. ripped from their mothers’ wombs. Their tiny pelts What are the fur are then turned into “fashion.” industry myths, Undercover inves- and what is the truth? tigators from The HSUS spent Fur industry manuals have described fetal twelve months karakul lamb fur as the pelts of lambs born documenting prematurely due to accident or exposure. the source of The HSUS investigation proves that pregnant this fur and ewes are killed, and their lambs taken from debunking them as many as fifteen days before their nat- the myths ural birth. out the use of prior stunning or any other perpetrated Even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service humane slaughter technique. And while fetal by the fur (FWS) helped perpetuate the myths that lamb fur is indeed expensive to produce, the industry. mask the cruelty behind karakul lamb fur. high price it commands makes it worth the As long ago as 1954, material published by death of the mother. the FWS stated, “There is a widespread mis- Fashion writers also inaccurately report conception that the ewes are maltreated the source of karakul lamb. A review of an or killed. Such practices are not humane or Alexander McQueen/Givenchy fashion show A model economically profitable anywhere.” The sports a in the February 16, 2000, edition of London’s FWS was right about such practices being karakul Evening Standard referred to fetal pelts as inhumane, but it was dead wrong otherwise. lamb coat, part “byproducts of other industries rather than of a fashion HSUS investigators witnessed pregnant ewes pelts farmed expressly for use in fashion.” designer’s routinely and systematically slaughtered with- collection.