In this article Wildlife Matters Investigates the fur trade In Farmed for their fur. Using animal fur for clothing is no longer necessary—the technology to create ethical, humane materials for warm and fashionable garments has long been available. Are we content to make living creatures suffer and die so that we can decorate our bodies?
Today we are looking at the five species of animal that account for 85% of all fur used in fur farms! The five species are rabbits, chinchillas, foxes, minks, and raccoon dogs—all are bred in commercial fur farms with the sole purpose of using their fur to make products for humans. Allowing the inhuman torture of these animals for the sake of fashion is a shameful act.
American Mink (Neovison vison)
The American Mink is a mustelid native to North America, though, in recent times, human activity has extended its range to much of Europe and South America. It is the only existing member of the Neovison genus since the extinction of the sea mink. The American Mink usually feeds on rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs, and birds. In certain areas of Europe, it has been labelled an invasive species that has caused a decrease in European mink, Pyrenean desman, and water vole populations.
Due to its fur, over 50 million American Mink are bred annually for this purpose. Breeding happens in March and the kits (average 3-4) are born in May. Vaccinations for botulism, distemper, enteritis, and pneumonia are given to young animals if necessary. The best ones are kept as breeding stock for the following year while the others are killed in November-December to obtain their fur.
Chinchilla (Chinchilla chinchilla) and (Chinchilla lanigera)
Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents, and there are two species Chinchilla chinchilla has a shorter tail, a thicker neck and shoulders, and shorter ears than Chinchilla lanigera.
In their native habitats, chinchillas live in burrows or crevices in rocks. They are agile and can jump up to 6 ft (1.8 m). Chinchillas eat plant leaves, fruits, seeds, and small insects in the wild. They live in social groups called herds. Herds range from 14 members up to around 100, this is both for social interaction as well as protection from predators. Predators in the wild include birds of prey, skunks, felines, snakes and canines. Chinchillas have a variety of defensive tactics, including spraying urine and releasing fur if bitten. They can breed any time of the year. Their gestation period is 111 days, which is longer than most rodents.
Due to this long pregnancy, chinchillas are born fully furred and with eyes open. Litters are small, with two being normal.
The international trade in chinchilla fur goes back to the 16th century and the animal, whose name means “Little Chincha”, is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who wore its soft, dense fur.
By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become rare. The fur trade has already driven one species of Chinchilla to extinction, however, the remaining two species are now endangered and extinct across much of their original home range. In 1923, Mathias F. Chapman captured eleven wild chinchillas and imported them into the USA for breeding. This small population are the ancestors of every Chinchilla in the fur and pet trade.
Red Fox on a Fur Farm
Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
The red fox is one of the most widely distributed species, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia.
In the wild, Red Foxes feed on small rodents, though they may also target rabbits, birds, reptiles, invertebrates and young ungulates. Fruit, Berries and vegetables are also regularly eaten. Foxes are opportunistic foragers and hunters.
Red foxes have their cubs in the Spring. The average litter size consists of four to six cubs. Fox cubs are born blind, deaf and toothless, with dark brown fluffy fur. Mothers remain with the kits for 2–3 weeks, as they are unable to thermoregulate (maintain their body heat) During this period, the fathers feed the mothers.
Vixens are very protective of their kits. If the mother dies before the kits are independent, the father takes over as their provider. The kits’ eyes open after two weeks. Their eyes are initially blue but change to amber at 4–5 weeks. Their Coat colour begins to change at three weeks of age. During this time, their ears are erect and their muzzles elongate. They reach adult proportions at the age of 6–7 months.
Captive-bred red foxes come in a range of different colour mutations. A few of them occur naturally in wild populations around the world, but, the majority were created by man, through selective breeding of foxes born in captivity with unusual coat colours or patterns or through the cross-breeding of foxes displaying specific colours.
Some of the mutations display noticeable differences in comparison to an average red fox, including a larger or smaller size, a much calmer behaviour, an almost complete lack of musky smell, or genetic problems, such as haemophilia.
Today, around one hundred different coat colours and patterns are listed by breeders, that have been created over the course of about 300 years of breeding silver foxes for the fur industry.
Among the colour mutations, individuals are found displaying a slightly darker or lighter coat, legs, ears, eyes, tail and muzzle of a different colour. Foxes are individual, and not one fox is the same as humans. But these foxes have been bred purely for the colour of their fur.
Captive Racoon
Raccoon Dog and Cats
In China, there is no punishment for those responsible for cruelly mistreating animals in the fur trade: over two million cats and hundreds of thousands of raccoon dogs are put through awful conditions every year. Many of them are still alive when their skin is taken off to make garments and accessories, such as winter coats, boots, jackets, handbags and stuffed toys.
Because of this unethical practice, the United Kingdom and the United States banned importing, exporting or selling items made from cat and dog fur in 2000, with the European Union introducing similar measures in 2009. Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and Australia also have laws prohibiting imports of the domestic cat and dog fur – although sales can still be facilitated under certain conditions.
Rabbit
The main breed in the rabbit fur farming industry is the Rex (Castor Rex and Chinchilla Rex).
These beautiful, sentient animals are forced to endure a cycle of repeated breeding and suffering.
At 4 weeks old, the kits are taken from their mothers, who wail for them in vain throughout the day. They are then confined to solitary, cramped cages with floor space equal to that of the size of two shoe boxes, where they cannot stretch or move about freely.
This incarceration lasts for up to 6 months until their winter fur has shed. Not surprising, then that the mortality rate is high, and most succumb to respiratory ailments due to the insufferable conditions and overcrowding. How can we let this suffering continue?
The breeding animals are caged and kept in captivity for up to three years, with their lives reduced to the purpose of procreation.
The young kits are cruelly taken away from their mothers, separated and placed in a sterile nursery before being locked into lonely cages just weeks later, where they’re subjected to inhumane living conditions not fit for any animal. The rabbits are kept in barren wire mesh boxes no bigger than two shoe boxes, suffering until they shed their winter fur and are unceremoniously killed. A sad truth is that the mortality rate for these caged Rexs is shockingly high, with 10-15% succumbing mostly to respiratory disease.
By-products of Fur Farms
The meat from fur farm animals is not normally eaten by humans, although many fur production countries do not make this compulsory. The carcasses of the skinned animals are used in various products such as pet food, animal feed, organic compost, fertiliser, paint, and even tyres!
Some Carcasses are sent to animal sanctuaries, zoos, and aquariums to feed animals.
In China, the carcasses are fed to the remaining animals without consideration of disease risk and are believed to be a potential source of SARS-type virus infections.
The faeces of these animals are used as organic fertilisers, yes it gets classified as organic because the source is natural! It’s used on food crops for human consumption, and their body fat is turned into oils used in soap, face moisturisers and other cosmetic products as well as leather treatments.
These poor animals are exploited throughout their short lives. Their fur and body parts are consumed by the fashion, cosmetics and clothing industries to produce products that allegedly make humans look better.
We must put an end to this vile trade which has no place in our modern world – there is simply no excuse for wearing the fur of a poor creature that suffered and died for nothing more than human vanity.
Further Reading
Fur Farming by Fur Free Alliance
The Fur Trade by Humane Society
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