by Holle Abee

Created on: November 09, 2008   Last Updated: March 15, 2010

The fur industry is one of the most deplorable businesses in the world. An unbelievable amount of animal cruelty and suffering are required in order to produce a single coat or stole. It doesn't matter whether the animal is ranch-raised or captured in the wild. Both are equally appalling, for different reasons.

Animals trapped in the wild are most often captured by a steel leg-hold trap. The creature inadvertently steps into the trap, and the powerful toothed mechanism snaps shut on one of the animal's legs. The animal is held there, with incredible pain and fear, without food or water, until the trapper checks his line and kills his prey, usually by clubbing it to death. A gunshot might harm the pelt. Trappers are legally required to check their traps at least once a day, but many don't. Some run their route only once every two or three days, so the poor animal is left there to suffer for hours upon end.

As brutal as trapping is, in many ways, fur farming or ranching is even worse. The animals are kept in tiny cages, never knowing what freedom is. They are usually allowed little shelter because being exposed to extreme cold forces more fur growth. When it's time for the animals to be "harvested," they are usually killed by being angered enough to bite onto a piece of metal as a electrical probe is inserted into their rectum. The jolt travels through their convulsing body, killing them. Again, this method is used to avoid harming the coat.

I'm not a vegetarian. I eat meat. But I have a real problem killing an animal just for its fur and wasting the rest of the carcass. Yes, I wear leather sometimes. So what's the difference, you might ask? Cows are eaten. Pigs, another leather source, are eaten. Cattle and swine are allowed interaction with others of their kind are treated better, in general, than are fur-producing animals.

That being said, I do try to buy only U.S. leather. Cows in India are treated terribly by leather companies. They are often forced to march for days without food or water. When they collapse from exhaustion, caustic liquids are then rubbed into the cows' eyes to stimulate them to keep moving.

So what about fur from animals that are eaten? Again, it depends on how the animals are treated before their fur is taken. For example, if you go rabbit hunting for sport and food and kill a bunny with your .22 rifle, I would have no problem with your using that pelt. The creature lived its entire life free, and it didn't have to suffer like animals raised on fur farms or in steel traps.

You see, for me, it's not so much the killing of the animal; it's HOW it's killed and what kind of life the animal has prior to being killed. It's also about the sacrifice of an entire animal just to satisfy the vanity of humans. I mean, we don't have to have animal fur to stay warm or to look good. With all the attractive synthetics and plant-based materials on the market, there's no need for us to steal the fur from a helpless animal!

If you're still not convinced, get on your computer and watch the "earthlings" video. Just Google the word and you'll find the video. It's a real eye-opener into the fur industry! Remember: Real people wear fake fur.

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