Python Leather

[Emily Hubbard]

I am looking to buy a jazzy snake print tote bag (faux of course) and in my internet searches I of course came up with plenty of real python leather bags. I have no interest in purchasing one because I can find no reliable information on the circumstances under which the leather is harvested. So I thought I would share my opinions on the ethics of python leather and you all can tell me if you agree or disagree.

I believe in treating animals ethically, but I do not agree with the all or nothing approach of PETA. I believe we have a right to eat animals, provided they are raised in killed humanely. I also see no reason not to use all of an animal that is humanely killed for food, hence I have no problem with cow leather.

But python leather bothers me. We all know that snakes are not given fair treatment by most people, so I seriously question the standards used to raise pythons for leather. I found one $600 handbag for sale that was retic skin (didn't say so, but it was obvious) and the pattern was rather small and included the belly scales which were very narrow. It was from a very young snake. Honestly, seeing it just made me kind of sick. I just started thinking about the terrible life that animal probably had.

Are there circumstances in which I would be ok with genuine python leather? Perhaps... If the species was not threatened or endangered and the meat of the animal was being used to feed the starving people in the snake's native country, and the snake was killed ethically to fulfill this ethical purpose, and the sale of the leather handbag went to further the cause, then perhaps I would buy one.... but these things with outrageous price tags under a designer label with no claims to the welfare of the animal slaughtered in the name of fashion... It just really bothered me....

I know in parts of the South, alligators are farmed for their meat and for their skin. I don't necessarily oppose this.... I just don't believe they are raised and killed humanely because they are reptiles and no one cares, which to me is the biggest issue. I feel like of all the animals we skin, reptiles are at the bottom of the totem pole, and of those, snakes are in the mud at the base. If it isn't cute by the standards of the masses, it looses the right to ethical treatment. No one in their right mind would buy a tiger coat, but python handbags are for sale on Amazon.

I adore snake print. Why wouldn't I, snakes are gorgeous! I have a purse, a lap top sleeve and a wallet in snake print. But all are PRINT, not SKIN. An imitation of the animal's beauty without using the animal. Knowing that a beautiful animal lived a terrible life and was likely slaughtered for its skin while its body was thrown in a trash pile is far more of turn off for me than the price tag of these handbags. If you ask me, $600 is far too cheap a price to pay for the loss of an animal that lived a miserable life.

Anyway, sorry to be a downer, but I was really disturbed by my innocent search for a faux handbag. I think because in this day and age, you don't see very much real animal skin on ANYTHING.... unless it's snake skin. I know you all understand that this is a disturbing fact. Anyway, I'm sure with more searching, I will find the perfect stylish bag, and it will be all the more stylish because no animals will be harmed to make it.

[tsy72001]

Sorry to say, but even so called humane practices are not humane!

[satomi325]

Beef cows in a factory farm setting are hardly euthanized humanly. It would be rare if they were. I guess it just depends on the slaughter house, but in general, the cows aren't treated well and can suffer a great deal before death. This goes for most other factory farmed animals. Smaller farms and private owners are usually always better in the way they treat their animals.

I still eat beef, but I just wanted to point that out to you. It's not just reptiles. But I do agree with you that many people are less sympathetic to reptiles because they aren't fluffy and cuddly. Fear also drives this notion.

But even the fluffy cute animals can suffer just as much. Especially if money and greed is involved.





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[mainbutter]

most of your snake skin products are either produced domestically from rattlesnakes or internationally from retics, both from wild caught animals.

[Emily Hubbard]

I grew up in the country, I am well aware of the inhumanity of most supermarket beef and chicken. The beef I ate growing up was from the farms of neighbors. It was raised in huge fields, fed top quality ingredients, and killed quickly and humanely. I currently only purchase chicken in the store that is clearly labeled as "free range." It costs a little more, but it is very ethically important to me. The difference in taste is shocking as well, they have so much more flavor because they were allowed to use their muscles and had access to insects and seeds to supplement their nutrition.

I am a huge supporter of free range farming and despise factory farms. The only way to boycott them is to not buy their products as much as possible.

So Satomi325, I just wanted to explain that I very much know the horrors of factory farms and I practice what I preach. But thank you for your statement, because that is news to most people. I think PETA is a terrible organization because it spreads so much malarkey that their true statements are ignored. Also, they never present alternatives. They say factory farms are an ethical nightmare, which is true, but they never mention the health benefits to all of free range farming. Instead they say keeping killer whales in Sea World is slavery because the constitution does not mention that only people can be slaves. True story look it up.

[Emily Hubbard]

most of your snake skin products are either produced domestically from rattlesnakes or internationally from retics, both from wild caught animals.

I did a report on Rattlesnake Roundups and what an environmental nightmare they are and learned a great deal about this. Most rattlesnakes become belts and wallets, sometimes boots. Python leather (that is what they call it) is often used for larger handbags because it's a larger snake. But the snakes are not caught individually and killed on the spot. In Rattlesnake Roundups, they are collected in mass piles where they sit for days of even weeks. Smaller ones are crushed under the weight of the larger ones, they are taunted, milked for venom, which is only an act to legitimize the event, the venom is not collected sterile and is therefore medically worthless, and then stressed and dehydrated, they are killed. And yes, then they are eaten and the skin is used. My problem is the horrifying nature of the collection and the animal cruelty leading up to the slaughter, and the fact that the practice has a hugely negative impact on the environment.

I do not believe in harvesting animals from the wild for any mass consumption. I am for the responsible farming of domestic livestock. But I DO believe in private hunting. The hunters I know personally are very responsible and when they kill a deer, they do everything with it that you can do with beef, and because they found it, killed it, cleaned it, and cooked it themselves, they actually have a far greater appreciation for the life of the animal. Buying pre-cut chicken breast in a neat little package removes us from that mindset. Out of sight, out of mind. We are not asked to care how it lived or died.

I feel the same mindset exists in people who pay $600 for a python leather handbag. Upon seeing the print and the price tag, the first thing I though of was how was this animal treated before it was killed, and how was it killed, and what happend to the rest of it? The people who actually buy the product think only of the prestige and being able to proudly answer "yes it is" when asked it it's real.

[Valentine Pirate]

For the life of me I can't remember what the company or website is called, but there is a service where they're able to restore shed skins and apply it as they would snake skin. The company in particular that I looked at (google sleuthing to see if I can edit a link in) sold snake hooks, iPhone cases, and kindle fire cases. You could donate to them, and they had pre-made stuff from pet/captive vipers that they had on hand. Their money goes to helping reptile keepers and laps that collected venom for research, maybe zoos. Sorry I don't have more, I'm remembering what I can off the top of my head. I'm hoping if I can't find the place someone else mentions it

[snake lab]

For the life of me I can't remember what the company or website is called, but there is a service where they're able to restore shed skins and apply it as they would snake skin. The company in particular that I looked at (google sleuthing to see if I can edit a link in) sold snake hooks, iPhone cases, and kindle fire cases. You could donate to them, and they had pre-made stuff from pet/captive vipers that they had on hand. Their money goes to helping reptile keepers and laps that collected venom for research, maybe zoos. Sorry I don't have more, I'm remembering what I can off the top of my head. I'm hoping if I can't find the place someone else mentions it

I saw something like this a few years ago. From my understanding what they did was used snake sheds to somehow lay over cattle leather and through the process they get the imprint of the snake sheds to get into the leather. I dont remember the entire process but it was pretty cool. There is a huge world wide market in snake skin products as there is with gator skin and alot of other animal skins. As long as there is demand there will be supply

[The Serpent Merchant]

For the life of me I can't remember what the company or website is called, but there is a service where they're able to restore shed skins and apply it as they would snake skin. The company in particular that I looked at (google sleuthing to see if I can edit a link in) sold snake hooks, iPhone cases, and kindle fire cases. You could donate to them, and they had pre-made stuff from pet/captive vipers that they had on hand. Their money goes to helping reptile keepers and laps that collected venom for research, maybe zoos. Sorry I don't have more, I'm remembering what I can off the top of my head. I'm hoping if I can't find the place someone else mentions it

It's JKR Gear, Justin Kobylka is a great guy, here is the website: http://www.jkrgear.com/

[Mike41793]

For the life of me I can't remember what the company or website is called, but there is a service where they're able to restore shed skins and apply it as they would snake skin. The company in particular that I looked at (google sleuthing to see if I can edit a link in) sold snake hooks, iPhone cases, and kindle fire cases. You could donate to them, and they had pre-made stuff from pet/captive vipers that they had on hand. Their money goes to helping reptile keepers and laps that collected venom for research, maybe zoos. Sorry I don't have more, I'm remembering what I can off the top of my head. I'm hoping if I can't find the place someone else mentions it

I saw a youtube video on it by justin kobylaka but idk if it was him that did it or someone else....?