The term fur farming refers to the entire trade of capturing, slaughtering and skinning animals for the purpose of selling the pelt. Some of the horrors of fur farming include the following: animals are often caught in leg traps that cause severe injury. In many cases, these wounds are left untreated. In addition, the creatures are kept in cages until the fur is intended to be sold. Examples of these cages have been recorded and the results show confined, excrement-filled living quarters in which the animals are made to eat and sleep. Due to injuries or illness, animals have perished inside of their cages. Nevertheless, animals continue to live in the presence of a decaying neighbor. These horrific conditions may make a person wonder why fur farming is necessary. The short answer isits not.
Before the times of man-made cloth, fur and leather was a necessity in order to stay warm during the winter months. Today, renewable fabrics like cotton, hemp and bamboo are being used ubiquitously in clothing production. The need for animal fur is no more. However, fur farms remain in production all across the globe to deliver fur pelts strictly for fashion purposes.
What animals are farmed?
Rabbits, wild cats, coyotes, wolves, mink, ferrets, foxes and many other animals are involved in the fur farming industry. A lack of regulation on the types of animals bought and sold leads to an almost infinite amount of animals being caught and used in fur clothing items worldwide. Regrettably, even animals that arent being targeted are trapped and killed every year including hunting dogs, raccoons, squirrels, gophers, birds and even domestic cats and dogs.
How are animals caught/slaughtered/skinned?
The most commonly used trap in the United States is the steel-jaw leghold trap. This trap consists of a pressure plate in the center of the trap and two jaws on the outside (often with spikes or teeth) that clamp down on a captured animals limb. Of course these traps are immensely strong and will often break the creatures limb in the process. Fur farms that export a significant amount of product may have hundreds of traps out at any given time. Therefore, traps may go unchecked for days or weeks on end. This means that a severely injured animal may be left to bleed to death due to their injury sustained from these outdated traps.
With very little regulation in regards to fur farming, animals are often killed in a myriad of ways. Bludgeoning, hanging, bleeding to death and even skinning alive have all been performed as viable means to end an animals life (Caution – videos provided are real, but are very disturbing). Although, as mentioned previously, injuries caused by trapping often also lead to infection and eventually death.
Whats the truth about faux fur?
The fact of the matter is that fake fur is not always fake. Many countries around the world have little to no regulations on fur farming. This means that furs which the U.S. deems appropriate to sell and label as fur may be different than other countries. Of course, the U.S. has banned the sale of cat and dog fur, but because of the false labeling of products in other countries, this fur is still being distributed. Investigations into fur trade in countries such as China have resulted in some disturbing findings (Again, the videos provided are very graphic and shocking). Domestic cat and dog fur can be labeled as faux fur according to Chinese regulations.
The one and only way to be certain clothing does not contribute to animal cruelty is to ban fur farming. For the time being, no one can be sure that their faux fur was actually made with animal friendly materials. Whats more, wearing fur (even trim or faux fur) as a fashion statement encourages the slaughter of millions of animals around the world each year. Fur is no longer a necessity. With the amount of affordable renewable resources at our disposal, there is no justifiable reason to maintain fur farms any longer. Many animal friendly organizations stand against the sale of any type of fur. One such example is the Make Fur History campaign. The group offers educational materials, alternate clothing options and easy ways to take a stand against fur farming.
Photo Credit: Dzīvnieku brīvība
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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