Explosive new footage and images supplied to Kindness Project by Farm Transparency Project reveal the appalling conditions in which iconic Australian saltwater crocodiles are being forced to live, on farms owned by luxury French fashion house Hermès.
Australia accounts for 60% of the global trade of crocodile skins, two thirds of which comes from the Northern Territory, where this footage was captured. Despite having a natural lifespan of 70 years old, in the commercial industry crocodiles are brutally slaughtered at just 2-3 years old, with up to four crocodiles being required to make just one Hermès Birkin bag. These bags can sell for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars.
In other words – our native icons are being turned into handbags to cater for the richest 1% of the world.
With so many sustainable and animal friendly alternatives available, there is no need for fashion houses to harm animals in the production of their clothing and accessories. We are asking for an end to Hermès crocodile cruelty, demanding they #dropcroc from their collections, in favour of protecting precious wildlife from cruelty and suffering.
A special thank you to Collective Fashion Justice for their collaboration on producing these interviews.
Kindness Project values the lives of human and non-human animals alike and as such we don’t wish to see anyone currently employed by the crocodile industry left behind should the industry be phased out. With that in mind, this report has been created to ensure there is scope for jobs to be replaced in the region.
The report looks at the current state of the industry, identifying the revenue and jobs that it brings to the region. Dr. Gupta has then explored several promising areas that have the potential to not only replace the jobs and revenue brought to the Northern Territory through crocodile farming, but surpass them.
Director of Research and Strategy Dr. Mehr Gupta B.Med SCI (Hons), MBBS has produced a robustly researched report looking at the viability of phasing out the Northern Territory crocodile industry.
Providing an exact blueprint for how such a transition may look is outside the scope of this report. However, assuming a transition is in alignment with societal values, in a democratic society it is reasonable to hope that government will use this report as a springboard for continuing to fund a transition out of an industry that exists to turn our native icons into luxury items for the richest 1% of the world.
Help spread the plight of Australian Saltwater Crocodiles far and wide with these printout resources! The more people taking action to ask Hermès to #dropcroc the better! Simply click the images to download the PDF files, then you can print them out and distribute them!
Take action to protect precious native wildlife! Right now, thousands of saltwater crocodiles are leading miserable lives on Hermès crocodile farms in Australia, all in the name of luxury fashion. Together, we can tell Hermès that their deplorable treatment of crocodiles must end.
Please take a minute to send Hermès an email expressing your concern. We have an email template you may send, but we strongly encourage you to add some of your own thoughts.
Join the global grassroots campaign to get Hermes to #DropCroc, we cannot win without your help!
