Well here we are, the big Labor day weekend! I’m flying up to Vermont to see my mom and take in the fall foliage. I’ll stay there about 2 months and work on my laptop. I may even get to meet a pretty babe, life is good! So anyway I wanted to set the record straight as far as if using leather is humane.
Now we know leather comes from animals, mainly cows, pigs, buffalo, goats, sheep and lambs. So there is no denying that wearing leather comes from a dead animal. But the question is, do any animals die because of the leather from their hides? That is, do any animals get killed to take their hide and turn it into leather? The answer is a big NO!
Now I am not talking about fur coats or other items made from fur. Yes, animals like mink, fox and several other types of animals do get raised and killed for the main purpose of using their fur and hide. But for leather items, the hide is a byproduct of the main reason the animal is used for, which is their meat. There is no way it is cost effective to raise an animal just for the hide of it, especially big animals like cows and pigs.
All leather comes from animals that are going to be killed for other reasons. Most are being killed for their meat. Lots of cows get put down due to age or sickness. All these animals are going to die anyway, so the leather is a byproduct of that. If they had a ban on all leather items in the world tomorrow, not one animal would be saved.
The exceptions would be the fur animals for fur coats like I said, and exotic leather like alligator and snakeskin. I’m not talking about those, nor am I selling those types of leather. I’m talking about leather jackets, vest, saddlebags and all the other types of leather products made from cowhide, buffalo, pigskin and a few other animals.
I myself think it’s wrong and wasteful to raise an animal just for it’s fur or hide. Of course strict vegetarians think it’s wrong and wasteful to raise any animal for meat. So I guess we all have our lines in the sand as to what is right and wrong. Regardless, the point and only point I’m making here is that motorcycle leather and other leather items like that are made from hides from animals being killed for other reasons.
Sure, the hide makes it more worthwhile, making them a little more money. But like I said, if suddenly all leather items made from cowhide, buffalo and pigskin was banned, not one animal would be saved, they still would be killed for the main reason they are raised for. Using the hide just insures there is no waste.
So you can feel good about wearing that leather jacket, leather vest or using those leather saddlebags. Not one animal was killed for that leather, at least not BECAUSE of that leather. Some will disagree, that is fine. I don’t think being a vegetarian is healthy, but you can disagree with me if you want!