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The Fur Trade - Basic facts
Battery Bunnies - The rabbit farming scandal
Skinned Alive - The trade in cat and dog fur
WARNING - Very graphic pictures
Between 30 and 50 million animals are killed by the fur trade every winter. They include fox, rabbit, chinchilla, lynx, coypu, wolf and raccoon.
Millions are caught in the wild, many by a vicious contraption known as the leghold trap, which is banned in 88 countries because of its cruelty. Similar devices are used for semi-aquatic animals such as mink and muskrat. These drag the animals under water where, after a violent struggle, the victims drown. Animals caught in leghold traps can be held in agony for days - until the trapper ends their ordeal by clubbing or suffocating them to death. In their desperation to escape, animals splinter teeth gnawing at the metal, and even chew through their trapped limbs.
An even larger number of fur-bearing animals - notably fox, mink and rabbit - are reared in intensive farms. These farms are located all across the world including Britain. The animals are confined in rows of tiny wire mesh cages, conditions that produce extreme frustration, resulting in self-mutilation, cannibalism and pointless repetitive movements. Killing is by gassing, lethal injection, neck breaking, clubbing or electrocution.
Battery Bunnies - The rabbit farming scandal
Tens of thousands of rabbits are imprisoned in bare wire cages all over Britain, millions more worldwide, just to be slaughtered for their fur and flesh. Crammed into cages, movement is restricted(so they don`t waste energy) in order to increase their size. These animals will never experience the fresh air, grass under their feet, or even be able to run or jump. Does are on an endless cycle of reproduction - she will be kept for 2 or 3 years of constant pregnancy, during which she may have given birth to over 100 young. Does are often re-bred just 14 days after giving birth, whilst still suckling her young.
Infants destined for the meat trade are killed at just 8-10 weeks, and their fur used for low quality products. Those bred specifically for their fur will be killed at 6-7 months. A 10% mortality rate ensures many don`t reach that stage. Rabbits are transported long distances to specialist `packers` for slaughter. Death usually comes by neck breaking or the throat being slit.
These factory farming conditions result in health problems such as sore hocks, stunted crawling gait and even cannibalism. One visitor to a rabbit farm found `cage after cage of rabbits with no ears` and was told that the mother had chewed them off. Cannibalism results from the stressful and boring conditions, or because the mother cannot provide enough milk for all her young. The restriction of natural behaviours and movement can cause psychological disorders.
Claims that rabbit fur is a by-product of the meat industry are a total myth. In order to be profitable, the sale of fur and meat are both essential to the farmer. Fur from rabbits killed primarily for their meat is not seen as good quality and will be used for cheap products. Most `high quality` rabbit fur comes from rabbits who are bred specifically for that. Other farms breed the rabbits for animal experiments.
Rabbit meat is often found in tinned pet food. The fur is made into `fun fur` coats, collars and gloves. It is also used to cover `novelty` items such as keyrings, hair products or even pet toys.
Skinned Alive - The trade in cat and dog fur
Imagine someone stealing your cat or dog and skinning it alive before it dies a slow, agonising death. Yet, as hard as it is to imagine, this is the daily reality for over two million domestic animals every year in China.
Fuelled by the insatiable demands of a cruel and callous fashion industry, cats and dogs, along with 40 million other animals, are slaughtered for their fur and sold internationally. Innocent cats and kittens are strangled and slit open while other cats watch terrified, the little kittens among them paralysed with fear trying to make themselves invisible, all awaiting the same fate.
The dogs are tethered by a wire noose, then stabbed in the groin, the lucky ones bleed to death before being skinned, those less fortunate are skinned once blood loss renders them too weak to struggle. Some desperately try to escape in a pool of blood. This method of slaughter causes least damage to the animals' fur, thus preserving its market value.
A recent undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) exposed one of the dirtiest of the fur trades secrets. They filmed cats and dogs being beaten, strangled and stripped of their fur. They witnessed cats being hung by a wire noose while water was forced down their throats through a hose until they drowned.