Lets get ready for Fur Free Friday 2008ON Nov 28 2008
The abuse and exploitation of non-human animals is pervasive throughout our society. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in the United States, over 9 billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption every year, approximately 20 million suffer in laboratories, another 5 million are killed for their fur, and countless others are enslaved for entertainment.
Fur Free Friday, the world’s largest and oldest anti-fur demonstration, takes place the day after Thanksgiving every year.
Let's Make a commitment today to take action for the 50 million victims of the fur industry. Imagine how powerful we could be if everyone reading this would just take a few minutes to engage in one action for animals killed for their fur.
http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=15853635
Which are the Animals killed for fur
The fur industry desperately wants the public to forget that fur-bearing animals are anything more than a coat collar or trim on a handbag. However, fur-bearers are important in their own right, playing essential roles in their ecosystems. Get to know the fascinating species most commonly used by the fur trade.1.Beavers:Beavers are extremely gentle, family-oriented animals who mate for life and remain life-long friends with their children. The second-largest rodent in the world, beavers can live 19 years, reach 60 pounds, and grow up to 4 feet long. The mink (Mustela vison) is a member of the weasel family, which also includes skunks, otters, and wolverines. They are perhaps best know for their dark brown fur, which turns white at the chin and runs to black at the tips of their tails.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
2.Rabbits: Rabbits are extremely social animals, living with their families in underground burrows called warrens. They can hop faster than a cat, human, or white-tailed deer can run. Rabbits love nibbling on alfalfa, timothy hay, apples, carrots, and crisp, green veggies, and they chew vigorously to trim their front teeth, which never stop growing. They communicate through body language, marking their territories like cats by rubbing their chins on twigs, rocks, or other landmarks. People who have adopted domestic rabbits from shelters know that they can be extremely affectionate, snuggling with their human companions and gently nuzzling their necks. Rabbits are sensitive, smart animals with individual personalities, just like dogs and cats. They make lifelong bonds with other rabbits and humans, play with toys, and can even learn to use litterboxes.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
3.Foxes:Foxes are intelligent, nocturnal animals who rely on their big bushy tails to spread scent in order to communicate. Instead of being the “chicken thieves” that some farmers claim they are, foxes usually survive by eating fruit, berries, roots, carrion, rats, and slugs. Foxes play an important ecological role, as they “clean” the environment, and their survival often depends upon the amount of available food in their territories. Although they usually live one to two years, foxes have been known to survive nine years if left alone by humans, their sole predator. Female foxes work together to care for their families’ babies, and young foxes ultimately learn how to take care of themselves through play.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
4.Minks Sometimes called “marsh otters,” minks love to swim and are often found near water. In the wild, minks are generally territorial and solitary and often travel long distances, sometimes using the dens of other animals as “hotel pit stops.”
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
5.Chinchillas:Chinchillas are shy, intelligent animals who eat vegetables and fruits and can live up to 15 years in the wild. Social “chatterboxes,” these sensitive, nocturnal animals can spend all night long just talking to one another. Fastidiously clean, they require frequent dust baths to care for their extremely dense fur.
6.Raccoons:Raccoons are fuzzy, beautiful animals with tell-tale black “masks” around their eyes. They can live seven years or longer in the wild. Raccoons are omnivores and eat frogs, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, insects, and grain, among other things. Although they are primarily nocturnal, raccoons are often seen frolicking during the day when they haven’t detected a human’s presence. They are intelligent animals (often figuring out the most complicated locks) who, sadly, have had to adapt to the loss of their habitat by human development.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
7.Coyote The popular name for the coyote comes from the Aztec word coyotl, which can be loosely translated as "trickster." Taxonomy classifies the coyote (Canis latrans) as a close relative of the wolf and the domestic dog. So close, in fact, that it is still a scientific detective story as to how much admixing has occurred between the groups. For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
8.Opossum The opossum (properly, the Virginia opossum—Didelphis virginiana) is the only marsupial found north of Mexico. Marsupials are distinguished by their unique mode of reproduction: the young are born in an almost embryonic form and make their way to the pouch in their mother's abdomen, where they are nourished for what in other mammals would be most of the gestational period. For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
9.Skunk Quick: Think of a skunk. What's the first thing that comes to mind? For many, it's the animal's unmistakable eau de parfum. Which is too bad, because skunk spray has given the wrong impression about these gentle, non-aggressive creatures.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
10.Seal : True seals (a group that doesn't include the fur seal) belong to the family Phocidae. Seals lack ear flaps and the ability to rotate their hind flippers forward to walk on land, which sea lions can do. Instead they pull themselves forward by their fore flippers, dragging their hind flippers behind them, with an inchworm-like motion. In the water, however, they are amazingly graceful, using their hind flippers in a sculling motion to propel themselves while steering with their front flippers. Some species are deep divers—the northern elephant seal dives regularly to approximately 2500 feet and stays under routinely for 20-30 minutes per dive. For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
10.Gray Wolf The gray wolf (Canis lupus), also called the timber wolf (along with many other local names), is one of the most widely distributed of all mammals—some say second only to humans. They have adapted to climates as different as deserts, the Arctic tundra, and forests. For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
11.Black Bear American black bears (Ursus americanus) are usually true to their name, but you might spot one who is brown, reddish, yellowish, or even cream-colored. They are the most widely distributed and smallest of the three bears found in North America. The other two, the polar bear and the grizzly bear, are much more restricted in their distribution. For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
12.Sea Otter Sea otters are the smallest of all marine mammals. At birth, they are about 22 inches long and weigh approximately five pounds. Adult males grow to be about 58 inches long and weigh 60Ð85 pounds. Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a protective layer of blubber to shield them from cold water. To compensate, they have extremely thick fur that traps warm air between hairs and insulates the body.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
13.Fur Seal Sea lions and fur seals belong to the family Otariidae. They have ear flaps and can rotate their hind flippers forward, giving them a somewhat ungainly, but very agile, gait on land. These are the "circus seals"—the ones seen in circuses and aquaria—able to stand on their fore flippers and climb stairs. In the water, sea lions and fur seals use their fore flippers to propel themselves, with a wing-like flying motion, using their hind flippers to steer (the exact opposite of true seals). For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States.
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.
Death for these animals is a horror story.Fur-farming methods are designed to maximize profits at the expense of the animal's health and comfort. For example,
Foxes are kept in cages up to two feet square with up to four animals per cage.
Minks suffer from close confinement, often developing self-mutilating behaviors. The animals in these concentration camp conditions also exhibit distressed neurotic behaviors such as pacing back and forth in their cages.Under normal circumstances, minks spend about 70 percent of their time in water. But on fur farms, where little water is available, their salivation, respiration, and body temperatures increase to unnatural and painful levels. In 1987, about 450,000 minks died on American fur farms due to heat stress alone.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.
are kept in tiny, filthy cages, surrounded by their own waste. They spend their entire miserable lives standing on the thin cage wires, never having a chance to dig, jump, or play. The methods of slaughter are inhumane—they are killed by having their necks broken or having their skulls beaten in before being strung up by the legs and having their heads cut off.
PETA investigators witnessed chinchillas who were suffering from painful seizures after being electrocuted or having their necks broken while they were still fully conscious.
And like foxes, raccoons often suffer in steel-jaw leghold traps, where they endure hours of agony before they are killed or chew their own arms or legs off. And like chinchillas, rabbits, and beavers, raccoons are constantly in danger from those who covet their fur.
Animals live in filth on fur farms and are often victims of disease and pests.
For example, fur farm animals are fed meat by-products which are often so grisly that they are unfit even for the pet food industry: calves heads, beef lungs and windpipes, unborn calves, chicken and turkey heads, beef and chicken entrails, cow udders, and fish heads. Bacterial contamination from such a diet threatens the health of the animals--particularly that of newly weaned pups. Contagious diseases--such as viral enteritis and pneumonia--as well as bladder and urinary tract infections are also prevalent on fur farms. Fleas, ticks, lice, and other insects are attracted by the piles of excrement under cages. These piles are often left for months, long enough for insects to infest the animals.
Even death does not come easy on a fur farm.
Ranchers have devised hideous methods of killing--methods which do not "damage" the animals' pelts:
Foxes are killed by anal electrocution--the insertion of a metal rod into the anus.
Some animals are killed in decompression chambers.
Minks and other animals have their necks broken.
Trapping
Each year approximately 10 million animals are trapped in the wild, so that they can be skinned for fur coats. The primary tools used by fur trappers are the following: leghold trap, the body grip (Conibear) trap, and the wire snare.
Fur trapping is a barbaric activity, done to supply people with an object of vanity, a fur coat. The leghold trap is composed of two metal jaws, powered by high strength springs, which slam shut on an animals paw when triggered. The initial impact of the steel jaws causes injury, but the majority of damage is caused as the animal struggles to break free.
Within the first 30 minutes of capture, a trapped animal can tear her flesh, rip tendons, break bones, and even knock out teeth as she bites the trap to escape.
Some animals will even bite off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to escape. In many cases the animals died from blood loss, infection, and inability to hunt with an amputated limb. Trappers kill animals that are still alive by shooting them in the head, stomping on them, or by beating their skulls in. Some leghold traps are actually set in a way as to kill an animal as opposed to restrain it. These are set in the water and are called "drowning sets." These are mostly reserved for beaver, muskrat, and mink.
The average time length required to actually drown the animals was 9 minutes and thirty seconds. Some beavers would hold on for as long as twenty minutes before their lungs gave out.
The fur industry argues that these "drowning sets" are humane. This only shows that their definition of humane is quite different than that of the rest of society.
Often times the traps will capture an animal other than the one the trapper was targeting. These are often referred to as "trash" animals, and are generally killed and thrown away. Those that are released usually die shortly thereafter from trap inflicted injuries.
The other commonly used fur trap is the snare. This is made of cable, and is shaped like noose. When the animal goes through the noose, she is caught. The more she struggles, the tighter the noose becomes. If the animal is caught around the neck it will eventually strangle her.
Facts about the Fur Trade
Statistics:
Each year the fur industry kills over 50 million animals for fashion, not including rabbits (no reliable data on rabbits killed worldwide for fur is available).
Number of Animals to Make a Fur Coat:
12-15 lynx10-15 wolves or coyotes
15-20 foxes
60-80 minks
27-30 racoons
10-12 beavers
60-100 squirrels
Canadian Seal HuntCanada's annual commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet. Over 300,000 harp and hooded seals are killed for their pelts each year, with many skinned alive, according to independent veterinary reports. The last time this many seals were killed—in the 1950s and 1960s—the harp seal population was reduced by as much as two-thirds. In 2005, 98.5% of the seals killed were just two months of age or younger. At the time of slaughter, many had not yet eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim. They literally had no escape from the "hunters." Further Information:www.humanesociety.org/protectsealswww.boycott-canada.comwww.stopthesealhunt.ca
Newborn and Fetal Karakul LambsGarments made from the pelts of newborn karakul lambs—often referred to as "Persian lamb," "karakul," and "astrakhan,"—are a staple of the fur fashion world. So too are garments made of fetal karakul lambs (known as "broadtail"), which the fur industry claims are crafted from animals born prematurely due to accident or exposure. In March 2000, investigators with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) toured a karakul sheep farm near Bukhara, in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, and found that pregnant ewes are in fact routinely slaughtered for these fetal pelts. Graphic videotape shot at the farm shows a pregnant ewe held down, her throat slit and her stomach slashed wide so that a worker could remove the developing fetus—the "raw material" for coats, vests, and other broadtail fashions. What's more, contrary to the industry's claims that karakul lamb fur is merely a byproduct of meat production, HSUS investigators videotaped newborn lambs displayed as "samples" of pelt colors before being sent to their death. The pelts were saved, the tiny carcasses discarded as trash. Further Information: See the video or read the report on The Humane Society of the United States' investigation into karakul lamb fur production
Library
http://www.infurmation.com/library.php
consumer information
http://www.infurmation.com/consumer.php
last article
http://www.infurmation.com/pledge.php
Petiiton
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/furfreepledge_jay
references
http://www.friendsofanimals.org/programs/fur/trapping-of-animals.html
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/fur_farms.asp
http://www.nycanimalrights.com/Fur.htm
http://www.infurmation.com/animals.php
www.furisdead.com/animals.asp
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/Fishing--Hunting/Fur--Trapping/Anti-furPosters2.htm
http://www.infurmation.com/library.php
http://www.furkills.org/fff2008/index.html
http://www.petaliterature.com/products.asp?dept=38&pagenumber=2&sort_on=&sort_by=
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It can take 40 or more animals to make a fur coat, but only one person to make a difference. Here are some easy ways to stop the suffering that animals endure for fur and fur trim.
1. Take the Fur-Free Pledge
Help save mink, foxes, rabbits, and other furbearers from suffering in the name of "fashion" by signing the fur-free pledge. You'll join more than 76,000 people who have already taken the pledge.
2. Check Out Department Stores
Department stores are the largest retail outlets for fur apparel. Many sell fur, especially fur-trimmed items, in the same departments as synthetic fur. We believe most customers would prefer to purchase faux fur over animal fur, but sometimes they just don't know if that bit of fur trim is real or not. It simply isn't labeled. And with today's technology, synthetic fur looks and feels surprisingly real.
Visit your local department stores and see what kind of fur products they are selling, how they are labeled, and what the salespeople know about their products. Voice your objections to the sales clerk or store manager. Write, email or call department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, that sell real fur and fur trim and ask them to go fur free.
Alert shoppers to the fact that the stores at which they shop may be contributing to the suffering of animals. Pass out brochures describing the inherent cruelty of the fur industry. Order free posters and brochures online. If you are interested in organizing a demonstration, contact us at furfree@hsus.org.
3. Ask Questions
Ask your friends and family what they know about the furry trim on their jacket. Is it real or fake? Do they even know? Many people assume that if they didn't pay hundreds of dollars for the coat, the trim must be synthetic. This is not always true. They may have purchased animal fur without even knowing it.
Did you see fur-like apparel on a TV show or in a movie? Wondering if it is real or fake? Contact the studio to find out. Let studio executives know that viewers are monitoring the use of animal fur. Ask that a disclaimer be added to the credits stating that only synthetic fur was used.
4. Support Anti-Trapping Legislation
Ask your U.S. Senators and Representative to co-sponsor legislation banning the steel-jaw leghold trap in the United States and to ban commercial and recreational trapping on national wildlife refuges and other public lands.
Learn the current status of anti-trapping and other fur-related legislation by visiting The HSUS Government Affairs Section.
5. Celebrate Fur Free Holidays in Your Own Community
The day after Thanksgiving is one of the largest shopping days of the year. This is a perfect opportunity to urge consumers not to buy fur products, and "Fur-Free Friday" events take place in many cities. Join our online community for notices about these events in your area and other issues of interest.
Wish your neighbors a Fur Free Holiday with a festive yard sign. November is an ideal time to convert political candidates' yard signs into a seasonal greeting of compassion and goodwill toward all. Just tack an anti-fur poster over the sign.
6. Speak Out
Feel tongue-tied when it comes to voicing your concerns about the cruelty of the fur industry? The HSUS has made activism easier with I'm not a coat anti-fur cards that you can distribute to fur-clad members of the public. The cards put a spotlight on the sheer number of animals killed for each coat, while reminding people of a fur coat's original owner. Click here to order a supply of free cards to promote compassion in fashion.
Contact your local radio station and ask to be a guest on the talk or community service show. Urge listeners to have a Fur Free Holiday and a fur free millennium.
7. Write Letters
Compose and send letters and opinion editorials to your local paper explaining why it is important to be fur free. And write to them when you read fur fashion articles or see fur advertisements, too.
8. Post Billboards
Post a fur-free billboard in your community. The HSUS will supply the billboard; all you have to do is cover the cost of having it posted. Contact us for more information.
9. Involve Your Community
Team up with local wildlife rehabilitators to collect old fur garments. Many people have unwanted fur coats, hats, wraps, etc. Offer them the opportunity to donate the fur to use as bedding to comfort orphaned and injured wildlife. (If you don't know a rehabilitator in your area, inquire with your local humane society, animal control agency, or veterinarian or click here.)
Give copies of The HSUS's Trapping Case Report form to your local veterinarians and animal shelters. Ask them to keep it on file in the event that a trapping victim is brought to them. The information we collect from these forms helps us to enact bans on cruel and indiscriminate traps.
10. Publicize Your Efforts
Don't forget to draw attention to all of your events and activities. Send out press releases and follow up with phone calls. Ask local media outlets to give you public service time to announce your events.
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