Chinese video captures the pain behind angora wool

A new video by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals-Asia (PETA) reveals unsettling details of the cruelty meted out to rabbits by those looking to make profits from angora fur.

The video, from a Chinese workshop, was shot by a PETA Asia investigator in China, from where 90 percent of the world's angora fur is sourced.

The video shows workers fiercely ripping off the fur right out of the rabbits' skin, even as the animal screams in pain.

Angora wool comes from the angora rabbit, originating in Ankara. The rabbits are primarily bred for their silky-textured wool. Angora fur can be found in sweaters and accessories, including those commonly sold in India.

"PETA India is appealing to shoppers this winter. Please read the label on the sweater or scarf. If it says 'angora', remember the gentle rabbits whose fur was cruelly ripped out of their skin - and then leave the item on the rack," Poorva Joshipura, CEO, PETA India said.

In the undercover footage, the rabbits are held tightly over a wooden bench leaving them no room to escape. The workers then pull off the fur, and throw the animals crying back inside their tiny, filthy cages. The rabbits undergo this trauma every three months for two to five years, after which their throats are slit and they are skinned.

The video also reveals how rabbits who have their fur cut or sheared also suffer.

"During the cutting process, their front and back legs are tightly tethered and the sharp cutting tools inevitably wound them, as they struggle desperately to escape. All the rabbits spend their solitary lives in barren wire cages that harm their sensitive feet. They are denied solid flooring, bedding, and the vital companionship of other rabbits," the video says.

In China, there are no penalties for animal abuse on rabbit farms and no standards that regulate the treatment of animals.