Angora

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Angora is a textile fiber obtained from the hair of the angora rabbit . The Angora rabbit is a long-haired breed of rabbit . Because of its sweat-absorbing and heat-retaining properties, angora fibers are mainly used for bed and underwear , tights and blankets. Although DIN 60001 and ISO 6938 clearly define the hair of the angora rabbit as angora, there is a risk of confusion with mohair , the wool of the angora goat . The goat takes its name from the old name of the Turkish city of Ankara , as it occurs there. The rabbit is called the Angora rabbit because its hair is similar to that of the goat.

Extraction

There are angora rabbits with different angora wool hair structures. In France and Switzerland , Angora rabbits are bred with a coarser wool structure. The hair of the fur becomes overripe after 4 months and is obtained while the body is alive by combing out, shearing but also by painful "plucking". This plucked wool is processed into long-haired handcraft wool. In Germany, Austria and other countries, Angora rabbits are bred whose fur forms a fine wool fleece that is sheared regularly every 2-3 months. Specialized companies process the shorn angora wool into high-quality knitwear. Angora hand knitting wool is only offered by a few local specialist shops and internet retailers in Germany. In this country, either hand shears with a protective bar or an electric clipper are used to shear the animals. After shearing, the animals spend approx. 48 hours in temperature-controlled stalls. After that, the rabbit has moved and the wool has started to grow again. According to the animal rights organization PETA , 90% of the angora wool traded worldwide comes from the People's Republic of China .

Criticism for cruelty to animals

As a rule, the hair of the angora rabbit is obtained by means of a cord , which does not cause any pain or injury to the animal if carried out properly.

The keeping of Angora rabbits as well as the production of wool has come under fire, among other things because a video published by the animal welfare organization PETA in 2013 shows how the wool is torn out of the animals while they are still alive. The live plucking and shearing of the rabbits screaming in pain was recorded on nine different Chinese fur farms .

When these video recordings became known, the textile companies H&M and C&A decided to remove angora wool from their ranges in November 2013. At the beginning of 2015, the Spanish textile group Inditex (including Bershka , Massimo Dutti , Zara ) also removed products from or with Angora from its range. According to PETA, several other big fashion brands had now also traded in the same way: Calvin Klein , French Connection , Topshop and Tommy Hilfiger .

Others

Pets with particularly long hair, especially in cats the Turkish Angora and guinea pigs , are also known as Angora breeds.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fashion retail is under pressure because of angora. Zeit Online , November 29, 2013, accessed March 18, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Angora wool. German Animal Welfare Association , accessed on March 18, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Blumenthal: Angora rabbit breeder - where long ears have to give wool. SHZ.de , November 23, 2013, accessed on March 18, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Angoraschur - YouTube
  5. ↑ A look behind the scenes of the wool industry ( Memento from November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ^ Heba Kanso: PETA releases video of angora rabbit investigation in China. CBS News , November 20, 2013, accessed March 18, 2014 .
  7. ↑ Angora wool - horror for rabbits / PETA. PETA , November 20, 2013, accessed March 18, 2014 .
  8. ↑ brü / dpa: Cruelty to animals for angora wool: After H&M, C&A now also bans clothing with angora. Focus Online , November 28, 2013, accessed March 18, 2014 .
  9. ^ Badische Zeitung , Wirtschaft , February 10, 2015, badische-zeitung.de: Zara banishes Angora