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 Cats, dogs and other animals are skinned alive for fur, writes Nicole Brown.
Models gracing magazine ads in chinchilla hats. Rich people swaying in luxurious mink jackets. Fur has always been seen as a symbol of luxury and wealth. But behind the sleek glamour of fur lies an industry that is bloody and cruel.
Millions of fur-bearing animals are slaughtered each year for their fur. These animals range from rabbits, foxes, minks, chinchillas, opposums, lynxes and baby harp seals. Wild fur-bearing animals are caught in traps and are often left to die slow, painful deaths before being found. Foxes and coyotes have even been known to gnaw off limbs in their frantic effort to escape.
Millions of other animals are kept on ‘fur farms’. These creatures live in cramped, filthy wire cages until they are either beaten to death, drowned, gassed, poisoned and even electrocuted anally. Many animals have been found to be conscious while being skinned alive.
Back in the ’80s, the animal rights group PETA launched a massive anti-fur campaign targeting fashion houses and stores that promoted fur. Known as the ‘We’d rather go naked than wear fur’ campaign, the images involved celebrities posing nude in magazines and on billboards. PETA also released graphic images of the way the animals were slaughtered. The public was outraged, leading the fur industry into a quiet hiatus.
However, 20 years later fur is making its ugly comeback in a major way. It has been helped by celebrities wearing fur as if it is an everyday clothing item. Furthermore, it is no longer seen as a symbol of wealth, and just like leather, is now affordable. This is partly due to large quantities of fur being exported from China. Numerous amounts of undercover footage show animals being killed in the most horrific ways. One showed a rabbit still moving and screaming in pain 10 minutes after having its skin torn from its body. And it’s not just rabbits. Thousands of cats and dogs are also slaughtered with their fur often being mislabelled as being that of another animal.
Now that winter is upon us once again, don’t be surprised to see fur back on the rack. If you are considering wearing fur this year, then opt for faux fur which looks and feels like the real thing. It may not be any skin off your back, but consider those poor animals who did lose it from theirs.
Animal Liberation NSW is currently running a winter-long anti-fur campaign in which activists undertake various actions, ranging from protesting outside boutiques that sell fur, having uniformed ‘fashion police’ officers patrolling Sydney streets, as well as naked stunts at prominent events and Sydney locations.
For more info visit www.endthesuffuring.org
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