Investigation exposes cruelty to ostriches in South Africa's fashion industry

According to the NGO, a new investigation carried out in collaboration with Collective Fashion Justice, an organization promoting ethics in fashion, documented cases of ostriches cornered by workers who put bags over their heads, then cut and pulled out their feathers without administering painkillers.

The images are part of a report titled Blood Feathers, which examines conditions on commercial ostrich farms and feather processing factories in South Africa. The country represents around 75% of the global ostrich market. The industry produces meat, leather and feathers.

A very painful plucking technique for ostriches

According to the investigation, feather farms and processing factories in South Africa supply feathers to luxury brands such as YSL, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, as well as fast-fashion giant Shein.

On some farms, feathers are cut above the bloodline - meaning they are still growing and vascularized - before being plucked from the animals' skin using forceps, a process which is repeated on some birds every six months, the charity claims.

Blood is often found in the shafts of these feathers, giving rise to the term "blood feathers." “While this may seem like an alternative to live plucking, this investigation uncovered evidence that the process is extremely distressing for the ostriches involved,” the report said.

“It’s time for fashion to take its head out of the sand”

The investigation also reported injured birds, including ostriches, which appeared unable to stand, and others with injuries from pecks to their eyes and feathers.

“Feathers are the new fur – it’s the same cruelty, but with a different animal,” said Olivia Charlton, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection, in a statement. “There is nothing natural about plucking a bird's feathers with pliers. It’s time for fashion to pull its head out of the sand.”

Emma Hakansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, said it was "totally inconsistent" for fashion brands to reject fur while favoring ostrich feathers, "which also come from a slaughtering industry full of suffering."

“With so many innovative fabric manipulation techniques and biomaterials available to create the same lightness, volume and movement that consumers enjoy in feathers, there is no justification for this cruelty,” she denounced.

150,000 ostriches slaughtered for trade

World Animal Protection points out that the investigation calls into question claims that ostrich feathers used in fashion are simply collected during the birds' natural molt.

According to data obtained from the South African government, more than 150 tonnes of ostrich feathers were exported from South Africa in the 2024-2025 season, while around 150,000 ostriches were slaughtered for the feather, meat and skin trade.

The country has a long history of feather trading. At the beginning of the 20th century, already thanks to the appetite of the fashion industry, ostrich feathers constituted South Africa's fourth export product, after gold, diamonds and wool.