Many people have probably seen this video, that has been floating around lately. It claims to show an angora rabbit farm in China, and pleads for viewers to boycott all angora products.
First and foremost, the treatment of rabbits in this video is atrocious. It is not okay. No one would say that how that fur is harvested is humane in any way, shape or form.
One of the main problems I have heard is a common Animal Rights complaint that the rabbits are kept on wire floors. Wire floors are not a bad thing. Rabbits are generally provided resting pads to get them off the wire, but in my experience, they prefer to soil the solid floors and sit on the wire. The majority of rabbits have thick fur on their hocks which prevents "sore hock" injuries. A responsible breeder will also monitor foot health and provide beds of hay or a solid bottomed cage for rabbits prone to foot injuries. Wire floors are not a bad thing.
What is a bad thing, is ripping a rabbit's hair out. Not only does this hurt and terrify the rabbit, it also damages the hair follicles, causing the rabbit's coat to lose density, and thus the harvester to lose profit. Because of this video, however, everyone now thinks that an angora has their hair ripped out. This is not the case. Hand plucking, when done correctly, harms the rabbit no more than being groomed with a brush. In fact, it is generally done when the rabbit is in a natural molt, meaning the hair is already loose and beginning to shed out. Plucking an angora at this point is very benefitial to the rabbit, as it prevents the rabbit from ingesting their hair while grooming, preventing wool block and GI stasis.
Another bad thing is tying the rabbit up. The video is correct when it states that this terrifies the rabbit - prey animals like to retain their ability to flee if threatened. Tying the rabbit can cause stress, which can lead to heart attacks. Allowing the rabbit to struggle against restraints that will never let go can also lead to the rabbit breaking bones or dislocating joints. For the sake of one harvest, a proper breeder will not risk a rabbit's life.
We also must think about whom has produced this video. PETA is notorious for shock tactics, and has actually been convicted of falsifying video information. They have also been charged with planting spies who neglect to perform the duties they were being paid by the company to do - namely feed and water the animals they claim were being neglected. They are also more concerned with their political agenda than with how animals are treated, and believe that animals are better dead than in pet homes, as evidenced by their policy of euthanizing animals taken in to their "shelters". I have heard that they aren't even allowed to call them shelters anymore, since they euth 95% of the animals they take in, but am unable to find a trustworthy source of that information.
Since this video is presented by PETA, who notoriously criminalizes anyone who has anything to do with the animal industry, I am wary of believing that the footage is, in fact, an angora farm in China. Sadly, there is no way to know if the video was staged or not. There is no way to know who, exactly, mistreated those rabbits, or if it truly is an ongoing thing, or a one-off done by animal rights advocates desperate for the latest "shocking new undercover footage". What we do know, is that the harvest of angora wool in that video was awful. We also know that if you desire angora products, you should shop locally, find a supplier near you and ensure that the wool you are receiving is harvested correctly by a breeder who cares for their rabbits, or by a wooler who keeps angoras strictly to harvest and spin the wool. Not only do you then know that the rabbits are treated well, but you're also shopping locally and supporting your local economy.