Fur Free Alliance - Public Voice

Fur Free Alliance

Let’s be honest.  When you think of fur free the first thing that pops in your head is, “What is fur free?”  Or if you do know what it is you then think of someone throwing red paint on a woman walking down the street in a fur coat.  Am I close?  While it may be amusing to witness this act the truth of the matter is the fur free issue is a lot larger than you can even imagine.  The Fur Free Alliance (FFA) is an international coalition of animal protection organizations working to bring an end to the exploitation and killing of animals for their fur.

“Each year more than 75 million animals are killed for fashion – for a product that nobody needs” (2013, retrieved from http://www.infurmation.org/index.php/issues).  Regardless of how the fur is used it still represents senseless pain, cruelty and suffering for these animals.  Today we have so many other means of fashion that fur does not need to be a part of it.

There are two ways in which fur is obtained: trapping and killing animals in the wild or rearing and killing animals on fur factory farms.

Trapping

“Millions of wild animals, including bobcats, coyotes, foxes, lynx, raccoons and wolves suffer and die in traps each year, mainly in the US, Canada and Russia, although trapping does occur in other countries too on a smaller scale” (2013, retrieved from http://www.infurmation.org/index.php/issues/trapping).

Fur Farms

“85% of fur comes from fur farms, meaning more than 45 million animals worldwide, including raccoon dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink, and chinchillas, are raised in cages and killed each year for their fur” (2013, retrieved from http://www.infurmation.org/index.php/issues/fur-farms).  Animals in fur farms are undomesticated which makes them afraid of humans.  They are kept in small cages all their lives which expose them to numerous physical conditions and behavioural abnormalities.  Being in these cages also denies them of their basic natural behaviours such as running and hunting for food.  After all of this these animals are still killed by cruel methods (gassing, neck-breaking and anal electrocution) in order to preserve the pelt.

Far too many animals are being needlessly killed each year and it is up to us to stop it.  If after reading this information you are as horrified as I am and want to make a change there is a way, several in fact.  You can take the Fur Free Pledge (http://www.infurmation.org/index.php/take-action/fur-free-pledge), spread the message to your friends, family and beyond (via social media!), become an activist and simply become more informed.  The Fur Free Retailer program (http://www.furfreeretailer.com/) is the only international program connecting compassionate consumers with retailers who care about the ethical and environmental benefits of forgoing fur fashion.  Each of us can make a difference; we just have to take that first step towards change.