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Ducks’ Throats Slit, Legs Cut Off—Urge Target and Others to Act Now!

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PETA Asia investigators visited duck farms and slaughterhouses in Vietnam connected to companies that sell “responsible down,” including Target, Descente, and Asics. What they found proves that “responsible down” is responsible for immense animal suffering.

The eyewitness footage shows that ducks are forced to live in filthy sheds and on barren, feces-filled lots. Many had bloody wounds, and others were unable to stand. Inside a slaughterhouse, a worker violently grabbed birds and shackled them upside down. The birds were dragged through an electrified water bath that failed to render them unconscious. A worker then plunged a knife through their necks and left them hanging to bleed out.

Ducks are highly intelligent and have deep emotional lives. Ducklings can tell the difference between objects based on their color or shape, demonstrating abstract thought capabilities. They also show affection for their siblings and mothers. Ducks feel fear and pain just as acutely as humans do and share the same desire to live free of suffering. They need their feathers—we don’t.

PETA has released nine exposés of the down industry from nearly 50 farms in six countries—including farms with ties to certified and “responsible” companies—and each exposé has proved that intense suffering and horrific violence and killing are the foundation of the down industry. No one needs to buy down clothing or bedding, and we’re asking people to instead choose from the many superior, warm, stylish vegan materials that are widely available.

PETA has informed Target, Descente, and Asics that they’re implicated in this investigation and therefore complicit in this abuse. We’ve urged them to help protect ducks by replacing feather-filled products with vegan down, which is warm, animal- and eco-friendly, and preferred by many shoppers. But decisionmakers have refused to ditch down.

Send polite comments to:

Shuichi Koseki
President
Descente Ltd.
[email protected]; [email protected]

Then send a polite e-mail to Target and Asics urging them to make the kind choice to stop selling down today:

View Message +

Lillian

Tseng

Asics

Executive Vice President

Rick

Gomez

Target

Message to {contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName}:

After watching disturbing footage captured by PETA Asia of ducks suffering and dying for “responsible down” with connections to your company, I urge you to stop selling down items immediately.

PETA Asia documented that ducks are forced to live in filthy sheds and on feces-filled lots. Many had bloody wounds, and others were too weak or ill to stand. Inside a slaughterhouse, a worker violently grabbed birds and slammed them upside down into shackles. A worker then drove a blade through their necks and left them hanging, still conscious, to bleed out. Birds were also killed in people’s homes, where workers pierced the ducks’ necks and cut off their legs while they were still moving. Their feathers were still certified under the deceptively named Responsible Down Standard.

I’m aware that your company sells down items made with feathers from these suppliers and is, therefore, helping to fund this abuse. But no matter where duck or goose feathers are obtained from, you can be certain that the animals were exploited and suffered. PETA has released nine exposés of the down industry from nearly 50 farms in six countries—including farms with ties to certified and “responsible” companies—and each one has proved that intense suffering and horrific violence and killing are the foundation of the down industry.

Many companies are already using warm, animal-free, eco-friendly materials such as Polartec, PrimaLoft, and bamboo fill instead of down, and conscientious shoppers are increasingly choosing these superior options. As a customer, I urge you to stop selling down today!

Sincerely,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~EMail Address}

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