PETA threaten to douse Victoria Beckham in lizard blood
Victoria Beckham. Photo: Getty Images
Tuesday Oct 19 2010
PETA has reportedly threatened to douse Victoria Beckham in lizard blood as they are so incensed by her new handbag line.
The singer-turned-fashion-designer unveiled her new collection of carry cases at New York Fashion Week last month. The accessories are made from crocodile, lizard and calf leather, which has infuriated the animal rights organisation.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is renowned for staging protests about the use of animal hides in fashion, and has publicly criticised a number of celebrities, including UK Vogue editor Anna Wintour, for wearing fur. The organisation has apparently been writing to Victoria to express their upset at her line, and is now planning a daring stunt when she next visits the UK.
“PETA have been on Victoria's back for weeks, sending email after email, and even publicly Tweeting her, posting things like, 'Skins are never posh, Posh.’ But it's not as if Victoria is going to the Everglades and strangling the crocs with her bare hands,” a source told British newspaper The Daily Mirror.
“PETA know she is high profile and that whatever stunt they pull will garner mass publicity. One of the ideas being mooted is that Victoria gets covered in a bucket of animal blood - cow or lizard - at her next UK public appearance. Another rather sick suggestion was to pelt crocodile feet at her when she goes to an editors' lunch in London next month.”
The animal welfare group plan to use fake blood and feet to make their point.
Victoria is said to be taking the threats seriously, so has upped the amount of security which accompanies her.
“Everyone is entitled to personal opinion and choice, but as with all Victoria Beckham products, the handbags are made to the highest quality and design. These skins sit strictly within the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) regulations, and are monitored at every step of production. The skins are farmed in America under very tight guidelines,” Victoria’s spokesperson said.
Cover MediaNo other country is with so many types of products from protected species such as Switzerland. The main reason for this is the watch industry. Each year it imported more than a million watch bands from species protected reptiles. Most of them are crocodiles, snakes and lizards are also used in the watch industry.
Hardly known, with what cruel methods of snakes and lizards are hunted and killed. The "Observations" shows how the so-called Bindewaranen be the same after catching your legs tied tightly over his back. transported in plastic bags, they have to remain for days; until they finally reach the slaughterhouse. There they are killed in painful ways.
Importers show themselves ignorant
David Senn, professor of zoology at the University of Basel and reptiles originally researcher, has seen the "Rundschau" material: "I'm shocked. This is clearly animal cruelty. The consequence would be that no decent jeweler offering more such leather. "
Swatch responded
The watch group Swatch responded to the shocking images. The Far Eastern Group Division Procurement Services (FEPS) shall promptly investigate whether leather can be used from the Far East and possibly reviewing the sources of supply on site, announced Swatch. Such products from such dubious sources have in the company's product line have no place.
Ignorant demonstrates the President of the Swiss Watch Industry Association, Jean-Daniel Pasche. Compared with the "Rundschau" he explains, "Until now, the question of animal welfare in our institutions has not been discussed. So I can not comment. "
Snakes torturous death
Even in the fashion industry find bags, belts and shoes made of exotic leather, particularly from snake skin, big sales. Especially "in" is Python. In the last five years, 250,000 products from Python have been imported into Switzerland. The products come in large part from wild-caught animals Indonesian.
Pythons are killed with hammer blows to the head. As the "Rundschau" images show, many of the snakes after the beating continued for hours. The Pythons are filled with water so that your skin tightens and place the worker from the skins to a straight cut.
During the procedure of watering, individual animals move still strong. Professor Senn: "The still alive. One must assume that this is extremely painful for these animals. "
