As an animal activist, I usually consider myself pretty hip to the jive when it comes to animal issues. I’ve educated friends and family members about the horrors of foie gras, what happens to chicks in factory farms, and why they shouldn’t shop at Petco. I’ve participated in dozens of campaigns, am trying to raise my child in a humane education setting, and generally try to be aware of the issues surrounding all sentient beings.

It was astonishing to me, as you could guess, when I learned about the practice of mulesing. Why hadn’t I heard of this before? For one thing, it’s a weird word—if I’d skimmed it in my reading before, I likely would’ve chalked it up to cruelly making mules sing for their supper, as I knew a woman who once did with her several cats. (I think it was more creepy than cruel, myself; she reminded me of that old cat lady in Jeepers Creepers.)

But in reality, mulesing is a practice used in the wool industry, largely in Australia. It involves carving off chunks of skin—actual skin, not just the wool itself—off the backsides of lambs in order to prevent the disease flystrike. It’s typically not even done with anesthetic. Can you imagine the pain and trauma these lambs must go through? That would be like us cutting off a chunk of our children’s butts in order to prevent polio.

Some farmers opt to not cut off the skin, but to instead pinch the skin with clips until it dries up and falls off on its own. Perhaps the farmers believe they are being more humane in this fashion, but in reality the practice is a lengthy, painful one.

It’s true that flystrike can be a painful, debilitating, even deadly disease. Maggots can eat the sheep alive from the inside out if left untreated. But more humane alternatives to preventing the condition exist. Sheep can be bred in a manner to prevent the disease from occurring. Breeds with less wrinkly skin are particularly less affected by the disease. Experts say that within two years, Australian farmers could completely phase into this breed of sheep, nearly eliminating the need for preventative measures against the disease.

And here’s the thing: the wool industry of Australia had already promised to stop the practice. However, they’ve since broken the promise, and need to be reminded of how important it is to stop mulesing. Please write to Prime Minister Rudd today and ask for the practice to be stopped and replaced with more humane alternatives.