Avoid Real Fur When You Shop

By avoiding real fur when you shop for clothes and gifts, you can save as many as 40 animals required to make a single fur coat. You also take a stand against the suffering inflicted upon animals kept in fur farms or trapped in the wild for their fur.

Long prized for its warmth, fur today is purely a fashion item in most parts of the world. Though in some periods of history it has been viewed as “the ultimate luxury,” fur has increasingly fallen into disrepute as the facts behind fur production have become more widely known.

Every year, more than 30 million animals are killed for fur on ranches alone--and that doesn't include all the millions more trapped in the wild. Either way, the fur pelts from these unfortunate animals are used in coats, linings, trim, blankets, toys and gift items. Minks, foxes, bobcats, beavers, raccoons, sables, lynx, coyotes, rabbits, chinchillas, raccoon dogs — even domestic cats and dogs — are all killed routinely for their fur.

Today, the majority of the animals used for fur are raised on fur farms, which have been widely condemned for their use of extreme confinement, inhumane conditions and brutal methods of killing the animals. Whereas farming for food uses animals that have been domesticated for that purpose over thousands of years and is regulated by the government, fur farming uses wild animals much less tolerant of confinement, and is not regulated. As a result, the conditions under which fur animals are kept cause tremendous stress during their short lives and drive them to many unnatural, stress-induced behaviors.

Most other fur animals are caught in the wild using indiscriminate traps that inflict great suffering not only on their intended victims but also frequently on unintended ones, including pets and other wildlife.

Because most fur is now obtained through farming, native populations no longer have a significant economic stake in fur. And whichever way it is obtained, the high chemical content of waste from processing real fur exacts a very high price on the environment – much higher than does the production of synthetic fur.

The tragedy is that none of this is necessary. Unlike leather, which is a byproduct of the meat industry, real fur — whether for whole coats or just small bits of fur trim — is obtained by killing animals purely for that purpose. With today's modern fabrics and synthetic "faux furs," there is simply no reason to kill animals for fur.

By choosing from a wide variety of alternatives, you can help end the suffering and death of these beautiful animals.

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I'm passing along a great do-it-yourself volunteer idea I just found at VolunteerGuide.org: By avoiding real fur when you shop for gifts and clothes, you can save as many as 40 animals required to make a single fur coat. You also take a stand against the suffering inflicted upon animals kept in fur farms or trapped in the wild for their fur. http://www.volunteerguide.org/hours/service-projects/real-fur Email Your Friends

• Avoid buying real fur. There are many alternative ways to stay warm and fashionable, including fake furs offering the same look. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) offers a Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing, as does the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
• Learn to tell the difference between real fur and faux fur. Unfortunately, it's not always clear which is which, particularly when it's a small amount of trim. The recently passed Truth in Fur Labeling Act eliminates much of that uncertainty, but the HSUS, the Fur Free Alliance and Born Free USA all offer tips on distinguishing real fur from fashionable fakes.
• Educate friends who are considering buying an item made with real fur.
• Offer to donate old furs to those who need them. PETA, for example, collects old furs and donates them to the homeless, while the HSUS's "Coats for Cubs" program donates them to wildlife rehabilitators for use as bedding to comfort orphaned and injured wildlife.