TimmyBoston said:Would you really want to sacrifice them for a few brushes?
Never!!! But they might look funny if they were sheared!!
TimmyBoston said:Would you really want to sacrifice them for a few brushes?
The market for badger is actually significantly larger than you would expect. I suggest you google the topic, and make a few calls... you will be stunned. If you dig deep enough - you can find pictures of these "badger farms" as well. The "top end" badger hair - we (wetshavers) never see, as it goes to painfully expensive paintbrushes that make our high mountain white shaving brushes look cheap.
I have personally spoken to several badger firms in Asian (both who farm it and who steralize it) as well as England, and from all accounts I am told it is always sheared - and have heard some pretty funny stories/mishaps about the poor fellas who have the job of shearing the angry little monsters.
Badgers are not killed for their pelts, period.
http://www.emsplace.com/bristle_types_and_bloom.htm
Bristle Sourcing:
As a company dealing in badger brushes the question about the source for badger hair comes up quite often. We have had conversations about this with many of the manufacturers we work with. Mr.Philip Watterson ,Managing Director, Progress Shaving Brush (Vulfix) Ltd provided us with what we consider excellent information on this subject, and is our basic understanding within the industry. He said this information could be shared as necessary and we think it would be educational here...
"Badger hair is imported from China. British, American and Canadian Badger are of no interest to brush manufacturers and cannot be connected with today's limited trade. China being the main export of Badger hair does so with very strict control on the amount exported each year, clearly displaying their awareness of environmental conservation. The Badger population is carefully monitored avoiding any decrease in its numbers. (It should be remembered that the Badger is a source of meat to the Chinese people and is available in the markets). Chinese Badger are collected from the wild and are not in contravention of the Washington Treaty of Endangered Species."
"This has been an industry for the people of China for hundreds of years and it should be remembered that an increase in the Badger population would quickly be regarded as vermin and a pest to agriculture. The high prices paid for Badger hair, its removal being a costly operation, means that any significant growth predicted in its demand has little foundation. Such an expensive product will never be part of the mainstream fashion boom. Britain, Europe and America all operate very strict import controls ensuring that any Badger hair brought into these countries is done so with all legislative agreements being strictly adhered to. The ecologists in both the exporting and importing communities of Badger hair have created a system preserving the Badger, an important source of livelihood for hundreds of years in the Far East and ensuring that a small market does exist, creating valuable work in an industry which dates back to the time when wet shaving was first recorded."
In addition, sometimes a customer has mentioned hearing that badger are sheared like sheep and ask if this is true? Mr. Watterson indicated that from his vantage point badger are not sheared like sheep. Em's Place has never heard that from any of the other brush makers we communicate with either. In regard to boar brushes, our understanding is those bristles are primarily sourced from China, India and Russia.
Its an odd little brush: its very "springy" kind of like a boar brush, but holds water like a ****...--Mark