Louis Vuitton Owner Exposed: Workers Cut Open, Strike Pythons With Hammers

A disturbing, first-of-its-kind PETA Asia investigation reveals exactly how pythons are being killed for LVMH’s snakeskin bags and shoes. 

Investigators visited two Indonesian slaughterhouses that supply LVMH—which owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, and other fashion brands—and documented workers bashing snakes in the head with hammers, suspending them in the air, pumping them full of water, and cutting off their skin, likely while they were still conscious.  

See for yourself what happens to animals killed to make purses and shoes sold by LVMH. Then take action to spare snakes the agony of becoming a fashion victim.

Workers at LVMH Supplier Bash Pythons in the Head Repeatedly With Hammers

PETA Asia investigators witnessed slaughterhouse workers ineptly attempting to stun or kill the snakes by striking them repeatedly (up to five times) on the head with a hammer—likely causing severe pain and stress rather than unconsciousness or death, according to Dr. Clifford Warwick, a reptile expert who reviewed the footage.

Snakes Strung Up, Pumped Full of Water at LVMH Supplier

Workers were seen suspending pythons with ropes and then ramming hoses down their throats or into their cloacal vents and pumping them full of water. Then workers tied their mouths and anuses shut to increase the water pressure inside their bodies in an attempt to stretch the skin, making it easier to remove. This method is considered “inhumane and unacceptable by international standards” and “would result in extreme stress and pain in the snakes,” according to Warwick.

Pythons Slit Open With Razorblades and Skinned, Likely While Alive and Conscious

The reptile expert who watched the footage confirmed that it is probable that the pythons were “conscious across all stages” of the attempted slaughter process. Because of snakes’ unique physiology, it can take some individuals anywhere from hours to weeks to die after workers’ barbaric slaughter methods. That means that many of the snakes were most likely alive as workers flayed and disemboweled them.

Investigators noted that at least one snake’s tail moved as a worker cut open the animal’s skin with a razorblade and that the workers did not bother to check for vital signs before starting to skin the animals.

Multiple Investigations by PETA Entities Have Exposed LVMH Cruelty

But this is not the first time that PETA entities have exposed cruelty in LVMH’s supply chain. A PETA Asia investigation into crocodile farms in Vietnam that supplied skins to the company showed thousands of reptiles lying motionless in filthy, cramped concrete pits, some narrower than the length of their own bodies. And PETA U.S. obtained footage of ostriches—whose skin is used for bumpy-textured purses sold by Louis Vuitton—showing that they’re kept in barren dirt feedlots for about a year before being sent to slaughter. At the slaughterhouse, they’re forcibly restrained, electrically stunned, and flipped upside down, then their throats are slit in full view of their flockmates.

Urge LVMH to Stop Selling Exotic Skins NOW

Pythons are fascinating animals who can live for decades and fiercely protect their eggs. Rather than exploring lush jungles and swamps and experiencing all the sensory pleasures that they’re so keenly attuned to, those in LVMH’s supply chain are abused and tormented just to make purses and shoes.

Please join PETA Asia in calling on LVMH to drop exotic skins from Louis Vuitton and its other brands right now!