Lively plucked South African ostriches

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) World Animal Protection cites an investigation conducted in collaboration with Collective Fashion Justice, an organization that promotes ethical fashion practices, and that documented cases of ostriches to be cornered by workers who put bags on their heads and then cut and plucked their feathers without administering painkillers.

The images are part of a report entitled “Bloodpens”, which examines living conditions in commercial ostrich farms and feather processing plants in South Africa.

The country represents approximately 75% of the global ostriches market. The industry produces meat, leather and feathers. According to the investigation, feather farms and processing plants in South Africa provide feathers for luxury brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, as well as for the Asian fashion giant Shein.

In some farms, feathers are cut above the blood line — i.e., they are still growing and vascularized — before being torn from the skin of animals with pliers, a process that is repeated in some birds every six months, according to the organization. It is common to find blood on the stem of these feathers, which gave rise to the term “blood penalties”.

“ Although this may seem like an alternative to the plucking of live birds, this investigation has revealed evidence that the process is extremely distressing for the ostriches involved,” the report said.

The investigation also reports wounded birds, including ostriches that seemed unable to stand, and others with wounds caused by picadas in the eyes and feathers.