No

by Christyl Rivers

Created on: September 02, 2011

To discuss whether fur ranches are humane, is of course, to have an already defined concept of what “humane” is in your mind.  Once upon a time slavery was acceptable, and slaves were said to be kept in humane conditions.  As with so many debates, how you define the terms will give you your answer.

Living in confinement, living in  cramped wire cages, crowded, and living just to be killed for your skin or fur, does not sound like something most of us would volunteer for ourselves, or our children.

For people logical enough to think it through to a reasonable answer, “humane” is that which disallows, (or at least reduces) suffering.  That said, fur ranching, like eating meat, or testing on animals, is a reality that most of us are completely connected to by some kind of benefit.  Hypo allergenic compounds come from it. There are ingredients in your health and beauty aids from it. Bone meal, and fertilizer, oils, and many other by products that pass through your life come from it.

Many of the cat toys you find in pet stores are made from real fur.  You are clearly an animal lover if you buy fur mousies for your kitty, but do you know from where this fur, and other fur trims come from?  Much of it today comes from China.

There is a cruel trade in capturing and skinning cats and dogs in China, where labeling laws, and regulations, are lax.

For the purpose of this article, though, we will focus on the more “humane” aspects of fur ranching in Europe and North America.

There are about 5,000 fur farms in North America. They range from small operations, to facilities with many thousands of fox, mink, chinchillas, rabbit,  and other fur bearing animals. Many keepers are said to love their animals.  This is no doubt true for some of them.  Operators provide shelter, food, vet care, and even comfort to them, but they must always view the animal not as individuals, with rights, but as a commodity.

The animal is a product, a way to make a living. Remember fur ranches also contribute to jobs and local economies, although whether or not they are humane, is not relevant to this happenstance.

We can quickly judge, but it is true that none of us could live without the death of other organisms, so our rash judgment does not make us more humane, either.

A good test for that which is “humane” again leads to the question of suffering.

When we inflict any suffering on another living thing, even if that organism’s suffering seemingly does not matter to us, what about our suffering, in terms of feeling guilt, hurt, pity, sorrow, or simply mis-aligned relationships with nature? There is a reason we don’t show our children videos of animal slaughter and skinning.  We don’t want to hurt our children, so cover up, or simple denial,  makes sense.

Many of us in the twenty first century, find at last, that here is the crux of the issue.

We should ask if we are hiding anything unpleasant about the origins of our everyday products and foods, from ourselves. And whether, we are richer just knowing that wild creatures we may never glimpse are out there, having natural lives in a natural world.

Is the world better by the existence of  baby seals, fox kits, bear and lion cubs, and others, safe in their dens, even if we never even see them?  Many of us would love to shoot them from helicopters, but I would argue that FAR more of us would rather let them be what they were born to be.

Nature designed animals, including human animals, to co-create habitats, to live in ever balancing ecosystems, and to benefit from the diversity and existence of all organisms.

Mental health of our species is suffering due to over population, climate change, war, and pollution.  Many native peoples’ attest that before we moved indoors and concentrated in great numbers we protected, and were more protected by, our environments.

Human animals have always exploited other animals and plants.  But not upon the huge scale, and with the same hidden and sequestered systems that are now in place. Never before have so many plants and animals, been so mass processed, quietly, and in unseen, or unspoken of, systems of processing.  Even the term process sounds much nicer than any terminology we would use to describe the farming, ranching, or enslavement of humans.

"Humane", the word, suggests that which makes us human. Ironically, that which makes us human is that which connects us most fully, and most deeply, with the rest of the planet.

When you buy your cat a fur mouse, you are not realizing, (because we do NOT want to know), that any suffering occurred to set this object upon bright and happy store shelves.

Einstein advised that we should be ever widening our circle of compassion to include all the interactive organisms that contribute to a rich, full, and enlightened life. That is humane which recognizes this truth.

Learn more about this author, Christyl Rivers.
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