The Medan Connection - Indonesia

The grisly truth behind fashion's reptile skin trade

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This shocking report has already been forcing change at the highest levels of Swiss politics. Travelling to Indonesia, it reveals the brutal roots of the world's luxury reptile skin industry.

"Move over leopard, the star animal print this year is snake!" For the image-conscious elite, snake skin handbags come at a price, but not with a conscience. Tracing the supply chain back to its violent origins, it appears even protected reptiles are not safe. In the rudimentary slaughterhouses instant death is not guaranteed and often the snakes are skinned alive. Laws exist to prevent this, but they are easily circumvented. With illegal snake skin supplying the major fashion houses the industry has a lot of power, which the UN regulating body has failed to control. "Overall the policy makers involved in this trade must accept that there are a range of major problems".

November 2011

Category:

News & Politics

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• reptile
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• illegal
• fur
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[peacerebelgirl]

snake skin belongs on snakes not on handbags and shoes!

[exo314]

I am aghast. How can we be so callous towards others pain when we do everything we can to avoid our own ie alcohol. drugs, food......EVERYTHING FEELS.......God Bless all the substance of this industry. Amen.

[henkgrui]

Great report, I will sent it to anyone I know to stop this madness.....

[mallesh5707]

Fuckers dont harm them please its very disturbing & disgusting :(

[jdmderick]

Thank you for the spotlight on this overseen bit important subject. I'm ashamed of being human. This should stop. But how. We have the sea shephard protecting the whales, we need a better governing body for the trade of animal skin. If ALL pythons were reared in captivity the price of skins will be astronomical but the rarity and exclusivity of having snake skin handbag or wallet will be bigger. God speed to all

[twistedlekyam]

@purpledayzd Seriously? Your blaming Asians?...Blame The STUPID CORPORATE WHITE PEOPLE!!!Let us have our traditions which is been hundreds and hundreds of years while ou white people are still hanging from the three.... ANd PLEASE if you REally care about the world start @ SEA WORLD FIRST!!!!

[purpledayzd]

Asians and their small penises are going to be the death of many species. The level of perversity that they treat animals is just horrible. How many things do you hear that they eat as an aphrodisiac? Karma is a bitch. Keep eating things you shouldn't. Dolphins, Bear Gall, Rhino Horn and keep raping the ocean or rare creatures all in the name of penis envy. There is a reason the world strikes your part of the world with more hurricanes than anywhere its the world fighting back

[cliffworks4321]

how disgusting those are some beautiful snakes, humans suck.

[TheCourageInside]

Obviously these people are incredibly poor, so as long as people want these skins, they will continue mass harvest.

[catalyst213]

Just cant watch this im perhaps too weak......its so sad and disturbing and disgusting.

[Barleyboy46]

Part 2 That will also be an ugly picture, but need not happen and create all that waste. Management of everything is necessary, waste should be minimum. the only way we can save all the animals is not eat them and perhaps spay and neuter our children that's my rant!

[Barleyboy46]

Part 1 We don't mind wearing a leather belt, boots, coats etc. I see no problem with it as long as it gets managed properly. I am a Newfoundlander, here we hunt seals for meat and fur. Due to Green Peace we now have small markets for seal meat (which is very high in protein) and furs that were once used for coats get lower in value and wasted due to not being harvested. Once the seals have depleted their food supplies, the majority of them will just starve and reduce their own numbers.