Animal rights advocates in Britain have sharply criticized Nike for creating a special edition training shoe out of crocodile skin. The shoes, which feature 18-carat gold lace tags and retail for about $2,700, were created for the 25th anniversary of Nike's Air Force 1 range and have gone on sale at flagship stores around the world, Sky News reported Monday.
One version is made from saltwater crocodile skin while the other features the skin of the world's largest snake – the anaconda.
The National Animal Welfare Society said in a statement: “What a horrific and objectionable way of making money. They are croccy horrors.”
Animal rights group Peta says humane treatment is not a priority for those who poach and hunt animals to obtain their skin or those who transform skin into leather. Peta said alligators and crocodiles used to create consumer products are sometimes beaten to death inhumanely with hammers and axes and sometimes remain alive and in pain for nearly two hours after they are skinned.
