> > So, where does wool rate in all this? One could reasonably > argue running around without their sweaters doesn't improve a > sheep's health. >
As I understand it the vegan position is that we shouldn't exploit animals at all, so no wool, no honey, no pets etc. In my opinion it's not really a tenable position for all of humanity to adopt and would, at least in the short term, lead to more animal suffering than it would alleviate. Nevertheless, individuals are free to make their own choices. Sheep are not really in their natural state any more, thanks to artificial selection, and would suffer considerably if they weren't regularly sheared, just as most cows would suffer if they weren't milked. Not all sheep need to be sheared, of course. The Ethiopian Hair Sheep is a good example. They are bred for their hide, which makes wonderful leather (Pittards). In fact, I have a pair of cycling gloves made from their leather. Bob -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
