Make Tennis Vegan

[Catherine]

I understood that sheep needed shearing and foot care.   I have read about cases of neglected sheep in serious trouble because they are not clipped. So as long as we have sheep we will have wool for our use. Reading what you wrote however tells me it is far more serious to neglect to shear a sheep. I did not realize it would cause that much harm.

I think we have done  threads about ethical shearing as opposed to "factory farm style" shearing.  The high volume, high speed shearing is what causes injuries and discomfort to sheep and other animals that need shearing. I would think mass produced tennis balls would use wool from high volume sources.
They could easily switch to something non wool and spare the sheep. 

Ethically sourced wool would still be available for use in wool garments. Knitters would still have plenty of wool to work with.
It would be better to move away from mass produced things like tennis balls that encourage the factory farm approach.

Wool is too amazing to be wasted on mass produced items. It should be used to make beautiful and necessary items.
Real wool is warm and it stays warm even if it gets damp. During a Canadian winter I love my wool socks.
Thank-you to the sheep that made them possible.