What Are 'Mulesing' and Live Exports?

The most commonly raised sheep in Australia are merinos, who are bred to have wrinkly skin in order to produce more wool. Many sheep collapse and even die from heat exhaustion during hot months because the weight of the extra wool is too much for them. The wrinkles collect urine and moisture, attracting flies who lay eggs in the folds of the sheep's skin. Once hatched, the maggots can eat the sheep alive, which is called "flystrike." To prevent flystrike, farmers perform a barbaric procedure called "mulesing," in which they flip the gentle lambs onto their backs, restrain their legs between metal bars, and—without any painkillers—cut huge chunks of skin and flesh from around their tails. The lambs are left with bloody sores that draw flies, which leads to flystrike anyway. There are humane alternatives that could be implemented immediately, yet the farmers continue this cruel practice.

When the sheep are no longer producing enough wool, they are crammed by the thousands onto open-decked, multitiered ships and transported thousands of miles to the Middle East. Kept in their own waste in extremely crowded conditions and forced to endure all weather extremes, thousands die during transport, and the countless others who become ill or injured are thrown overboard or ground up while still alive in mincing machines. The survivors are taken to poorly regulated slaughterhouses, where they will have their throats slit while they are still conscious.

Click here to watch Pink's video and send a letter to the Australian government in defense of sheep.