FUR FARMING
Fur farming has been outlawed in the UK due to the public opposition to the animal cruelty involved, however this does not stop shops from importing real fur from elsewhere. Countless hours of video footage have been filmed inside the fur farms, documenting horrendous suffering which could simply be stopped by designers using synthetic materials instead.
Animals are forced to live, often solitarily, in small wire cages little bigger than themselves, crammed in their hundreds in dark breeding sheds. The ability to carry out natural tasks or instincts is rare, for example semi-aquatic animals such as mink are denied access to water, with the exception of that in a pumped feeder Due to the floor of the cages being made of mesh (to allow faeces to fall into pits or the cages below) animals often suffer join defects and injured feet. The sheds are often dusty and dirty, with rotting faeces just inches below the animals, which often causes breathing difficulties.
Stereotypic behaviour is common place and well documented in fur farms as those kept captive have no stimulation and go mentally insane through boredom. This is often expressed through repeated pacing for hours on end, gnawing at the wire mesh for hours on end and even biting off their own limbs. Cannibalism is also rife amongst animals in fur farms. Mothers often eat their young when they are distressed, under stress or cannot see any chance of a future for their offspring.
Any animals which are seen as ‘unfit’ in quality of fur are culled. In the case of carnivorous animals, they, along with those who died as a result of the harsh environment, are ground up and fed back to those still living in the farm’s sheds.
SLAUGHTER
Countless methods of slaughter have been documented in undercover investigations, most of which are outlined below:
Gassed to Death
Animals are thrown into an old oil drum so as to be easily transported to the purposely built gas chambers, where they are placed in a ‘box’ and forced to inhale concentrated carbon dioxide until they suffolcate. It has been filmed a number of times fur farmers saving costs by using a car exhaust and piping to do this job cheaply.
Anal & Vaginal Electrocution
Electrically charged probes are forced into an animals mouth, with their jaws often clamped open, whilst others are forced up their anus (in the case of males) or vagina (in the case of females) and a high electric current is passed through so as to kill the animal. This is no doubt extremely painful.
Throat Slit and Bled to Death
More commonly in the case of rabbits, the animals have their throats slit whilst fully conscious and are bled to death. In order for the blood to completely drain from the animals’ arteries, they are shackled upside down by their lower limbs.
Concussed
With this method, a blunt object is applied with force to the animal’s head in order to cause a concussion. However, more often than not, the animal dies by it’s skull caving in and crushing the brain.
Skinned Alive
Recent undrcover footage has recently been shot of animals being skinned alive, whilst fully conscious, and thrown onto a pile until they die.
TRAPPING
Another common practice is trapping wild animals so they can be killed for their fur. Gin traps (outlawed in the UK) are used and clamp shut on an animal’s limb in order to prevent it escaping. A number manage to do so by gnawing off their own limbs, but often bleed to death instead. Those who cannot evade the traps have to wait, often for days with no food or water, until the trapped comes and culls them. This is done by either beating the animal to death, stamping on it’s head or jumping on it’s chest until the ribs and lungs collapse.
RABBITS ARE BRED FOR MEAT, SO ISN’T THEIR FUR A BY-PRODUCT?
This is rarely the case. Rabbits bred soley for their fur are slaughtered at a much younger age than their meat-counterparts due to the higher quality and softness of fur needed. When a rabbit is slaughtered for meat, and it’s fur used as a by-product, the animal is months olders and the fur is often too poor in texture to be sold on.
‘Meat rabbits’ are often farmed in similar conditions to those on a fur farm, so there is no way of defending the cruelty which occurs just by claiming the fur is a by-product. Either way, whatever the destination of the animal, whether it ends up on a plate or garnment, the way in which the rabbit was bred and slaughtered was cruel so by purchasing rabbit products the funding is directly upholding some form of animal abuse.
When farmed rabbits are killed, it is often the meat which is a by-product so in effect this props up the fur industry. For more information, visit www.rabbitfur.org
WHAT ABOUT VINTAGE FUR?
Some people claim that it is ok to wear vintage fur because it is second hand and therefore is somehow ‘less-cruel’ than new items. This is most certainly not the case, as the animal was still farmed and killed soley for this product to be produced. Furthermore, by wearing or selling vintage/second-hand fur it is contributing to the idea that fur is acceptable in today’s society and encourages others to go and purchase such products.
ALL THIS SUFFERING, JUST FOR VANITY
DON’T BUY REAL FUR!
