By avoiding real fur when you shop
for gifts and clothes, you can save as many as 40 animals required to make a
single fur coat. You also take a stand against the suffering inflicted upon
animals kept in fur farms or trapped in the wild for their fur.
For many generations, real fur was regarded as the ultimate luxury. After
falling into disrepute several times in recent history,
fur sales have strengthened again
over the past several years, according to the
International Fur Trade
Federation. Long prized for its warmth, fur today has become more of a
fashion item than a practical one.
Every year, about 50 million animals are
killed for fur,
according to the Humane Society of the United States. Their fur pelts are
used in coats, linings, trim, blankets, toys and gift items. Minks, foxes,
bobcats, beavers, raccoons, sables, lynx, coyotes, rabbits, chinchillas — even
domestic cats and dogs — are all killed routinely for their fur.
Approximately 80 percent of these
animals are raised on
fur farms, which have been widely condemned for their use of extreme
confinement, inhumane conditions and brutal methods of killing the animals.
Whereas farming for food uses animals that have been domesticated for that
purpose over thousands of years and is regulated by the government, fur farming
uses wild animals much less tolerant of confinement, and is not regulated. As a
result, the conditions in which fur animals are kept cause tremendous stress
during their short lives and drive them to many unnatural,
stress-induced behaviors.
Most other fur animals are caught in the wild using indiscriminate traps that
inflict great suffering not only on their intended victims but also frequently
on unintended ones, including pets and other wildlife.
Because most fur is now obtained through farming, native populations no longer
have a significant economic
stake in fur. And whichever way it is obtained, the high chemical content of
waste from processing real
fur exacts a very high price on the environment – much higher
than does the
production of synthetic fur.
The tragedy is that none of this is necessary. Unlike leather, which is a
byproduct of the meat industry, real fur — whether for whole coats or just small
bits of fur trim — is obtained by
killing animals purely for that purpose. With today's modern fabrics and
synthetic "faux furs," there is simply no reason to kill animals for fur.
By choosing from a wide variety of alternatives, you can help end the suffering
and death of beautiful animals.
- Avoid buying real fur. There are many
alternative ways to stay warm and fashionable,
including fake furs offering the same look. People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) offers
a
Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing.
- Learn to tell the difference between
real fur
vs. faux fur. Unfortunately, it's not always clear
what is real fur and what isn't, particularly when
it's a small amount of trim. The potential
Truth in Fur Labeling Act is designed to
eliminate any uncertainty, but until it's made
into law, buyers need to pay careful attention.
The
Fur Free Alliance and
World Animal Net both offer tips on
distinguishing real fur from fashionable fakes.
-
Educate friends who are considering buying an
item made with real fur.
- Offer to donate old furs to those who need
them.
PETA
collects real furs and donates them to the
homeless, while the Humane Society
donates real furs to wildlife rehabilitators
for use as bedding to comfort orphaned and injured
wildlife.
