A recent investigation by World Animal Protection and Collective Fashion Justice has revealed that South African ostrich farms are using mechanical pluckers to remove feathers from living birds destined for major luxury fashion brands. The investigation documented ostriches being cornered by workers who put bags over their heads and then cut and pulled out their feathers without administering pain relief.
The report, entitled “Blood Feathers”, examines conditions on commercial ostrich farms and at feather-processing facilities in South Africa, which accounts for about 75 percent of the global ostrich market. The industry produces meat, leather and feathers, with some farms cutting feathers above the bloodline — which means they are still growing and supplied with blood — before pulling them from the animals’ skin with pliers.
The investigation found that farms and feather-processing facilities in South Africa supplied feathers to luxury brands including YSL, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, as well as to fast-fashion giant Shein. The charity said that blood is often found in the shaft of these feathers, which led to the term “blood feathers”.
According to World Animal Protection, the process of removing feathers from living ostriches is extremely distressing for the birds involved. The investigation also reported seeing injured birds, including ostriches that appeared unable to stand and others with wounds from pecking at each other’s eyes and feathers.
Olivia Charlton, campaign manager at World Animal Protection, said that “feathers are the new fur – it's the same cruelty just with a different animal”. She added that there’s nothing natural about pulling out a bird’s feathers with pliers and that it’s time fashion took its head out of the sand.
Emma Hakansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, said it was “utterly inconsistent” for fashion brands to reject fur while embracing ostrich feathers “which also come from a slaughtering industry full of suffering”. She added that with so many innovative fabric manipulation techniques and bio-materials available, there is no justification for this cruelty.
World Animal Protection said the findings challenge claims that ostrich feathers used in fashion are simply collected during the birds’ natural moult. The organization cited data obtained from the South African government, which showed that more than 150 tonnes of ostrich feathers were exported from South Africa during the 2024-25 season, while about 150,000 ostriches were slaughtered for the feather, meat and skin trades.
Key points
- Luxury fashion brands linked to 'blood feathers' from South African ostriches
- Investigation reveals cruel and painful techniques used to remove feathers from living birds
- Findings challenge claims that ostrich feathers used in fashion are collected during natural moult
