Fur trade: this is virtually a world-wide phenomenon. Each year more than 75 million animals are farmed, hunted, abused, and killed to make clothing and accessories. This includes foxes, rabbits, beavers, chinchillas, minks, seals, racoons, bears, wolves and even dogs and cats. When caught in traps, animals often break their teeth by biting the trap, chew off their trapped limb or they suffer for days until they are killed (by beating, strangling, stamping or kneeling on them) and then skinned.
Semi-aquatic animals such as beaver, mink or muskrat are often caught using traps set underwater, so they drown. It can take up to 25 minutes for them to die, terrified and struggling to escape. Some animals are trapped in steel-jaw traps, a device so cruel that it’s been banned in the UK for 50 years, and throughout the EU for over 20 years.
Most people are aware animals are trapped for their fur, but they may be surprised to know that around 85% of fur comes from wild animals who are farmed for their fur. Around 50 million mink and 7 million foxes are bred each year to meet the world demand. Everything is designed for the convenience and profit of the operators. Animals are kept in rows of barren small individual wire cages, in open sided sheds. A mink cage is no longer than a person’s arm. Often animals are beaten and mistreated, and some mothers become so distressed, they kill their own babies.
A mink will be mated in February, give birth in May, and her pups are weaned 6-7 weeks later. The offspring are killed in November (7 months later) immediately after their first winter moult, when their fur is at its best. Since the aim is not to damage their fur, slaughter practices include electrocution, electrodes clamped in their mouth and inserted into the rectum (doesn’t always work the first time), gassing or poisoning.
The methods used are largely unregulated. Exposing animals to high levels of suffering, seems wholly unjustifiable for non-essential luxuries. In China where most of the fur comes, animals have been filmed being skinned alive. More than 800,000 animals are skinned in Norwegian fur farms each year. Seventy million rabbits are tortured for their skins in France.
Hundreds of bears are killed in Canada for the British Ministry of Defence, who use their fur to make bearskin hats for the Queens Royal Guards to wear. One bearskin is required for one hat. Following campaigns, led by Respect for Animals, a bill was passed to ban fur farming in 2000. This became law in the UK in 2003, but the sale of fur is still legal. Before then, there were 11 fur farms.
When you look at a beautiful fur coat, think how many gorgeous animals were brutally hurt, trapped, terrorised and killed for it. Nowadays, most people wouldn’t wear a fur coat but they may not realise that the trim and pompoms on collars, hoods, scarves, bags and boots could be real strips of fur or real tails. Sometimes companies try to pass real fur for fake and it can be difficult to tell the difference. One way to test this is that a pin will go straight through a faux fur but not real fur.
Cheap fur items have even originated from cat and dog fur. Fur items may be labelled as coming from one country but this may not be where the animal was farmed. You may not be aware, but some soft toys may be made from animal fur, usually farmed rabbits. For example a sleeping cat in a basket which looks like the real thing.
Always check the labels of furry items to make sure you are buying 100% synthetic. Faux and fake fur, are just as good. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfigger converted to faux fur. If you come across a shop selling real fur, ask the shop not to sell it. There are petition sites for example, where you can upload a petition. (This site has petitions for over 70 countries and you can choose to remain anonymous…http://www.gopetition.com)
Sheepskin: is the equivalent of wearing fur, because the wool is still attached to the sheep’s skin when it removed. Animals have to be killed first. Ugg boots are made from sheepskin, slippers, coats and jackets. It is found in furniture, cushions, bedding and handbags. These days, synthetic fabrics are just as good. Faux sheepskin can be just as warm, better for your pocket and the sheep. Sheepskin should be labelled.
Wool: many sheep are raised for this. It could also be seen as innocent. Shearing live animals is often carried out with little regard for their welfare, causing stress and injury. Shearing of pregnant ewes in the winter is sometimes done to enable more of them to be crowded into housing, and may leave them suffering from cold, at risk of contracting disease and miscarrying. In Australia most of the worlds merino wool is produced. Many farmers use a horrendous process called ‘mulesing’ in which chunks of flesh around the lamb’s rear ends are sliced off in order to prevent flies laying eggs there (fly strike) which can kill them. Wool is used in clothing from knitwear such as socks and jumpers, to making chair covers and upholstery. Also to fill mattresses, cover tennis balls, pool table baize, carpets and hanging basket liners. Animal free clothing and accessories can be found in many stores and online. Alternatives to wool are cotton, fleece, acrylic, polyester, microfiber and other synthetics. In many cases these are less expensive than wool.
Cashmere: comes from goats who are often raised in crowded filthy stalls, and sheared when they need their coat most, in Winter. Exposed to the cold these goats are more susceptible to illnesses. They have their ears notched, are de-horned and castrated without any anaesthetics. Then sold for meat.
Angora: comes from female rabbits who live lives of isolation in tiny cramped cages. Unable to move about or exercise, they develop painful sores and deformities. Male Angora rabbits don’t make adequate wool, so the majority are slaughtered at birth. In 2014 an investigation into the Chinese angora industry (produces 90% of the world’s angora) found shocking evidence of angora rabbits literally being skinned alive. This caused global outrage and multiple designers, and high street retailers pledged to discontinue using angora.
Mohair: goats are raised for their mohair wool and sheared when they have their winter coats. Left naked, the goats can develop respiratory illnesses and are susceptible to parasites. Weakened, many goats die after they are sheared. In a few years when their wool is no longer use, they will be slaughtered.
Leather: most originates in India and China. It is a highly profitable and lucrative business. A wide variety of animal species are used to make this, such as cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, deer, crocodiles, snakes, ostriches, sting rays, seals, emus, deer, kangaroos, elephants, horses, the list goes on. Cows provide the bulk of leather while goats, pigs and sheep supplement, to meet the basic demand. The softest leather (slink) comes from unborn calves (from slaughtered pregnant cows or lambs who die at birth). It is desirable and expensive.
Reptiles also suffer in the name of fashion; snakes may be nailed to trees and skinned alive, crocodiles and alligators are typically raised in farms where they are bludgeoned to death or have their spines severed with a chisel or mallet, and lizards are often decapitated before having their skin ripped off. Their skin can be turned into shoes, handbags and belts. Seal skin may be used for coats and gloves.
While leather has been considered a by-product of the meat industry (viewed as unavoidable and unethical for the skin to go to waste) the sale of the animal’s skin plays a vital part in keeping animal farming and slaughter profitable. It is more a subsidy or co-product. The meat, leather and dairy industries are tangibly and economically intertwined. The leather industry is reliant on the beef industry. The beef industry makes bigger profits because of its ties with the leather industry. It is estimated that the number of cows killed annually will have to increase in order to keep us in leather goods. Are these leather items necessities?
Many retailers offer a range of leather-free furniture, luggage, bags, shoes, belts and other products, that are not only fashionable but cruelty free. There are alternatives made from natural, recycled or synthetic materials and for those who wish to wear leather or suede there are pseudo materials on the market. In fact even some products that look like leather are actually synthetic. Shoes can be made of canvas and rubber. Many of the best sport shoes are leather-free because synthetics perform better. Check the labels. See PETA’s cruelty free clothing guide for tips on where to find fashionable, yet compassionate clothing.
Down feathers: ducks and geese are confined in large warehouses to produce meat or ‘foie gras’ and ‘harvesting’ their feathers is a profitable by-product. This is sometimes called feather down, duck down or goose down and is the softest inside feathers from the breasts of geese and ducks, which keeps the birds and their eggs warm. This is used to stuff duvets, quilts, sleeping bags, pillows, cushions, anoraks, coats and puffa jackets and even furniture.
Down is plucked from birds slaughtered for food, or from live geese forcibly restrained. Workers step on their delicate wings and necks and bind their feet together. Live plucking is done because it is more productive, since a live bird can be plucked over and over again and it is thought to be a better quality of down. This is extremely painful and distressing and can cause them to bleed from their follicles. They might undergo de-feathering 3-5 times or more during their short miserable lives. Geese are usually not fed the day before the feathers are collected, to avoid them contaminating their feathers with droppings.
This practice was brought to the public’s attention by a Swedish television documentary in 2009 which studied the down industry, and estimated that 50-80% of the world’s down market comes from live birds. This was denied by the China Feather and Down Industrial Association. However, Ikea the Swedish furniture company verified this was correct and cancelled an order from China for down-filled furniture. The documentary also filmed a Hungarian goose farm where this was done.
People were shocked by the sight of birds having their feathers ripped out. Many ended up paralysed or with gaping wounds which were cruelly sewn up by the workers without using pain medication. After a tortuous life, they are sent for slaughter. This is such a cruel practice and there is no way of telling which method has been used.
Duvets in particular are filled with feathers from dozens of birds. Sleep comfortably knowing no duck or goose suffered or died, by choosing products made from hypoallergenic synthetic down, polyester fill or high-tech fabrics like primaloft or polarguard. They are often machine washable and don’t require dry cleaning like down. Other alternatives are Thinsulate and Thermolite, synthetic and cruelty free.
Ostrich feathers: are used for house decorations, feather boas, masks, costumes or feather dusters. Most ostrich feathers you see, have been dyed in different colours. They used to be raised exclusively for their feathers, but now they are also raised for their meat and leather. They are farmed in over 100 countries, kept in groups of thousands and can also be plucked alive every 7 months.
Silk: when silk worms change into pupas, they live inside a cocoon of fine threads, which they spin around themselves. Instead of maturing into a moth, their lives are cut short. Cocoons are immersed in boiling water until the pupa dies to obtain continuous threads of silk. To make 100 grams of silk yarn, 1,500 pupas are killed. Silk is made by harvesting the cocoons of millions of silkworms. It is used to make sheets, dresses, shirts, scarves or ties, and it takes hundreds of silkworms to make just one tie. Alternatives are rayon and nylon.
Christians Caring For Gods Creatures 