An investigation by PETA revealed that pythons are subjected to brutal treatment, including being bashed with hammers, impaled on hooks, and skinned alive at python farms in Thailand, with footage showing the disturbing process where the snakes continue to move despite the violence.
The skins obtained from these farms are used by luxury brand Gucci to create expensive handbags, shoes, and belts. Despite requests for comment, Kering, the parent company of Gucci, did not respond to inquiries.
The investigation focused on two large python farms in Thailand, where PETA investigators witnessed the horrific treatment firsthand, with pythons struggling throughout the process, including inflating their bodies with water to facilitate skin removal.
The investigator, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, described the scenes as cruel and disgusting.
“It’s as cruel and disgusting as any place, where their heads are bashed with hammers, and some are still moving while being inflated with water,” the investigator said of their observations at the Thai farms, which house as many as 15,000 snakes and kill about 20 to 30 pythons each day.