“Every year, millions of animals are killed for the clothing industry. Whether they come from Chinese fur farms, Indian slaughterhouses, or the Australian outback, an immeasurable amount of suffering goes into every fur-trimmed jacket, leather belt, and wool sweater” (PETA).
Animal cruelty is a serious issue that is very prevalent in today’s world. Animals that are used for clothing is one of the more serious issues. Although fur farms do exist in North America, the majority of the farms are in Europe and China. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has been working for several years to put a stop to this horrible trend; it can be done and you can help.
Life of A Fur Farm Animal
The life of an animal that will be used for fur is not a good one. Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives in cramped, dirty, wire cages. Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning.
More than half the fur in the U.S. comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and sometimes even skinned alive for their fur. Most leather comes from developing countries, such as India and China, where animals usually have their throats cut and skin ripped off while they are still fully aware what is happening to them.
In India, a PETA investigation found that cows have their tails broken and chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes, so they will walk after they collapse while traveling long distances to slaughter. "Most of the world's wool comes from Australia, where sheep undergo "mulesing," a gruesome mutilation in which large chunks of skin and flesh are cut from lambs' backsides without any painkillers." (PETA)
Each year, millions of sheep, used by the Australian wool industry, are crammed onto export ships to be sent to the Middle East. Sheep who survive the terrifying trip are often dragged off trucks by their ears and legs, tied up, and beaten and have their throats cut while they are still alive.
Killing Methods
No federal humane slaughter law protects animals in fur factory farms, and killing methods are gruesome. “To cut costs, fur farmers pack animals into small cages, preventing them from taking more than a few steps back and forth” (The Nebraska Game & Parks Commission).
Animals in fur factory farms are fed meat byproducts considered unhealthy for humans to eat. Water is provided by a nipple system, which often freezes in the winter or might fail because of human error. Fur farmers care only about preserving the quality of the fur, they use slaughter methods that keep the pelts intact but that can result in extreme suffering for the animals.
Small animals may be crammed into boxes and poisoned with hot, unfiltered engine exhaust from a truck. Engine exhaust is not always lethal, and some animals wake up while they are being skinned. Larger animals have clamps attached to or rods forced into their mouths and rods are forced into their anuses, and they are painfully electrocuted. Other animals are poisoned with strychnine, which suffocates them by paralyzing their muscles with painful, rigid cramps.
Gassing, decompression chambers, and neck breaking are other common slaughter methods on fur factory farms. The fur industry refuses to condemn even blatantly cruel killing methods such as electrocution.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, electrocution causes “death by cardiac fibrillation, which causes cerebral hypoxia,” but warns “animals do not lose consciousness for 10 to 30 seconds or more after onset of cardiac fibrillation.” In other words, the animals are forced to suffer from a heart attack while they are still conscious (American Veterinary Medical Association).
What You Can Do To Help
What can be done to help theses animals? The first, and most obvious, don’t buy or wear the fur. Would you wear your dog? Furs are mislabeled frequently, so you never truly know whose skin you’re in. When you buy or wear fur you’re not only hurting an animal, but you hurting the environment.
Fur production uses a lot of energy to produce one real fur coat. Not only is the fur non-biodegradable, the process that causes the fur to be non-biodegradable can cause water contamination. The second thing you can do is write letters to the editors of fashion magazines that use fur on their models and explain how wearing fur supports a cruel industry and why faux fur is a much more compassionate option.
Opposition
On the other hand, wherever there are solutions to a problem, you will find people that oppose the solutions. FICA, the Fur Information Council of America, is aimed at promoting fur and letting the public know the “real” side of the fur industry.
FICA argues that fur is a “sustainable use of renewable resources”. This would be true if the fur farmers didn’t use the chemicals they use to preserve the fur. FICA also states that fur is “soft, sensual and enveloping, nothing compares with the feeling of wearing fur” (FICA).
The Verdict
You can help stop this. Saving animals is as simple as choosing stylish cruelty-free clothing, which is available in every price range and at all kinds of retail outlets, from discount shoe stores to high-end boutiques. With so many fashionable, comfortable options available today, there is no excuse for wearing any animal skins.
Michaela Reynolds - I'm currently a college freshman at Baylor University in Texas. I'm currently majoring in Film & Digital Media and will be auditioning in ...
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