Sustainable development blog : ecology and humanitarian aid

45 million of animals are killed in fur farms each year

5 million are captured or killed in the nature (seals, wolves, tigers, etc) each year

In many cases, individuals who wear fur try to justify their actions by claiming their coat was made from animals killed on a ranch, as opposed to animals that suffered for days in a steel jaw leghold trap (leghold trap). There is a misconception that ranch raised fur is "humane". Unfortunately, there is nothing humane about depriving these animals from their behavioral and physiological needs.

Fur farming is nothing more than institutionalized torture.

So why is fur farming so wrong?

• It is important to know which species are raised and killed on fur farms

Of the 45 million animals killed on fur ranches each year, about twenty-six million are mink and 4.5 million are fox. In addition, 250,000 chinchillas, 150,000 sable, 100,000 fitch, 100,000 raccoon dogs (a separate species from the American raccoon), and a small number of lynx, bobcat, and nutria are fur farmed. It's hard to determine how many rabbits are killed for fur because some of them come from the food industry.

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The mink is a semi-aquatic predator native to North America. Mink are very solitary creatures who spend a substantial portion of their day swimming in the water. Mink are very inquisitive and active and does not adapt well to life in a cage. The mink raised on fur farms are genetically wild. This sort of intensive confinement has severe psychological implications. Ranch mink engage in neurotic behavior. Many will move back and forth in the same repetitive motion for extended periods of time.

Because mink are kept in such cramped conditions causing an increase in stress, many ranch mink develop stomach ulcers and enlarged adrenal glands. This is a sign of chronic stress. The fur industry conducted their own tests in hopes to prove that ranch mink are not stressed. In their studies, young mink are used before they can develop stomach ulcers. The results of these inaccurate tests are used to "prove" that intensive confinement does not affect the mink. It is understood how the public is misinformed about the truth on fur farms with the release of such deceptive tests. Tail biting is a form of self-mutilation that is common in captive mink populations. Self-mutilation is a hardship for fur farmers because it devalues the animal's fur pelt. Mink are killed after their winter coat reaches prime to cover many of the flaws in the fur. This is recognized as an unfortunate cost of conducting business. Large pens would reduce the amount of self-mutilation, but the additional space would increase overhead costs. It is more cost-effective for the industry to cram more animals into a smaller space, and deal with the occasional stress related death or self-mutilation This semi-aquatic animal does not get a chance to swim in water if born on a fur farm. The lack of exposure to swimming in water is believed to increase behavioral problems in ranch mink. In the summer time, a wild mink might take a dip in a pond to cool off. Denied that option, many ranch mink die from heat related diseases in the hot summer months. Some years, as many as 10% of a fur farms stock may die from heat related conditions.

In average, 50 minks are needed to make one short single coat!!

• As fashion trends change, so does fur farming.

Fur farmers utilize selective inbreeding to encourage the development of mutant color phases to meet the whims of fashion. This process led to the development of white, gray, mahogany, and shades of blue mink. This style of genetic manipulation does not only change the mink's hair color, but it creates physiological problems as well. Life for ranch-raised fox is not any more promising. Fox farms have very serious problem with cannibalism. Fox in cramped living conditions often resort to cannibalism as a result of a stressed induced environment. It is estimated that fox farmers will lose 20 % of their animals prematurely. Half of those deaths result from cannibalism.

• Animals on fur farms are not able to engage in their natural behavior.

These animals are treated like machines and commodities rather than living creatures with emotions. The suffering and death stems for the simple purpose of creating a luxury garment that serves no practical purpose. Fox farming is now banned in Holland and all of the fox farms must close by 2004. As of January 1st, 2000 fox farming will be illegal in Sweden. Austria does not have any fox farms as a result of animal friendly legislation, and the United Kingdom banned fur farming in December 2000 as well. This clearly indicates that there is a very serious concern for the welfare of animals in intensive confinement.

• Killing methods

Death for these animals is a horror story.

1) The most common method used for killing foxes is anal electrocution.

2)

Mink are usually gassed or violently injected with poison, but also electrocuted. 3) Many just have their necks broken or are asphixiated.

4) An undercover investigation found that some minks are killed with weed killers, which can cause the animals to convulse for up to 10 minutes before death. 5) The chinchilla industry proudly admits that most chinchillas are killed by neck breaking or electrocution. Many chinchilla farmers hook one metal clamp to the ear, and another to her genitalia to implement the electrocution of this poor creature. The chinchilla is small, and it takes as many as 100 of them to die in order to make a single full-length fur coat.

The fur trade calls this "humane".

The truth about the fur industry will prevail despite any attempts to minimize the suffering and pain that occurs to animals.

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THE CASE OF CHINA

This country provides fur for clothes but also for any little toy you can find in any market. Those items are usually very cheap.

WHY?

Take a look inside the Chinese fur trade.

Watch the video

Watch the video 2

(this image gallery also shows cats and dogs killed for food but we will study this matter in a different post soon)

• Skinned alive

When undercover investigators made their way onto Chinese fur farms, they found that many animals are still alive and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them. When workers on these farms begin to cut the skin and fur from an animal's leg, the free limbs kick and writhe. Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who struggle too hard to allow a clean cut.

When the fur is finally peeled off over the animals' heads, their naked, bloody bodies are thrown onto a pile of those who have gone before them. Some are still alive, breathing in ragged gasps and blinking slowly. Some of the animals' hearts are still beating five to 10 minutes after they are skinned. One investigator recorded a skinned raccoon dog on the heap of carcasses who had enough strength to lift his bloodied head and stare into the camera.

Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground; workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken bones and convulsions but not always immediate death. Animals watch helplessly as workers make their way down the row. Undercover investigators from Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International toured fur farms in China's Hebei Province, and it quickly became clear why outsiders are banned from visiting. There are no regulations governing fur farms in China. The investigators found horrors beyond their worst imaginings and concluded, "Conditions on Chinese fur farms make a mockery of the most elementary animal welfare standards. In their lives and their unspeakable deaths, these animals have been denied even the simplest acts of kindness."

On these farms, foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire cages, exposed to driving rain, freezing nights, and, at other times, scorching sun. Mother animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters.

• Is there a skeleton in your closet?

The globalization of the fur trade has made it impossible to know where fur products come from. China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Even if a fur garment's label says it was made in a European country, the animals were likely raised and slaughtered elsewhere—possibly on an unregulated Chinese fur farm.

The only way to prevent such unimaginable cruelty is never to buy any fur.