SAY NO TO FUR

By Zichen Fan

Each year, around one hundred million animals are bred and killed on intensive fur farms. Huge numbers of animals are trapped and killed for their fur in the wild.

On fur farm, animals are confined in small, barren, wire cages for their entire lives. Unable to express their basic natural behaviors.

Farm owners feed them with the cheapest food and inject growth hormones to these animals to create oversized “monster foxes” with larger fur.

Many animals are brutal killed. They might be peeled off even when they are alive.

Image by Oikeutta eläimille from thedodo

Warning: next image might be bloody!!!

Image by MICHELE BROWN; kknews

There are more than 50 anti-fur organizations calling on fur free activities over the world.

However, it doesn’t influence much in U.S.

Mink fur sales in the United States have increased much between 2004 and 2014, from $2563 million to $3471 million, an increase of 35%.

The proportion of people who find fur “morally acceptable” appears to have held relatively constant majority for the past decade according to the findings of the Gallup polls.

88% of all Americans say the animal rights movement has had NO influence on their decision to buy fur according to the findings of Gallup polls in 2017.

Fortunately, governments begin to notice this questions. In world wield, the tide is turning against the practice of fur production as concerns about animal welfare and the ethics of fur continue to grow. Many countries begin to enact animal protection laws to limit fur farming.

Especially in Europe, many EU Member States have already adopted legislation to prohibit or limit fur farming, but further measures are needed.

Nowadays, with the development of faux-fur and the change of public perceptions, more and more branches have added to fur-free list. But some country like U.S. and China, which are the top fur generated country, still need more actions. Animal protection movement needs to continue to put pressure on the public to change perceptions about buying and wearing fur. Government needs to impose fur farming ban to limit the animal slaughter from the source. It takes all of us.

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Reference:

[1] “FICA Facts”, Fur information council of America. [Online].Available: https://www.fur.org/fica-facts/.[Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].

[2] “The Fur Trade”, Human Society Internatinal. [Online].Available:https://www.hsi.org/news-media/fur-trade/. [Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].

[3] “International Fur Farm Statistics”, APFA. [Online].Available:https://thefurbearers.com/sites/default/files/downloads/FurFarmStatsJuly2014.pdf. [Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].

[4] “U.S. Mink Production, 2004 – 2018”, Fur Commission USA. [Online].Available: https://furcommission.com/production-statistics/. [Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].

[5] “Public Attitudes Toward Fur”, Human Research Council. [Online].Available: https://faunalytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Fundamentals_Fur.pdf. [Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].

[6] “Fur Production and Fur Laws”, Animal Legal&Historical Center. [Online].Available:https://www.animallaw.info/intro/fur-production-and-fur-laws. [Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].

[7] “Fact on fur farming legislation”, Fur Free Alliance. [Online].Available:https://www.furfreealliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Facts-on-fur-farming-legislation.pdf [Accessed: 15-Feb-2020].