Fur is dead fashion
Millions
of animals world wide suffer and die because vain people want fur
coats or fur trimmings on their clothes. These animals are either
caught in traps or kept in cages on so-called fur farms.
Wild animals suffer terrible pain when they are caught in leg-hold traps. They suffer broken bones and torn muscles. Sometimes they chew off their own leg to escape the torture. Imagine slamming the car door on your fingers and you might have some idea of what a trap feels like.
Some traps are set under water, and animals such as beavers drown when caught in them. Many animals other than those the trapper wants to catch are also caught and killed. These are referred to as "trash" animals.
Animals such as mink and foxes are also bred in small wire cages on fur farms. The cages cause so much stress that these wild animals develop abnormal behaviour, like chewing their own tails or killing their offspring. Other abnormal behaviours include running up and down the cage and head circling.
Mink are usually killed by gassing, and foxes are electrocuted. One electrode is clamped to the fox's muzzle and the other is inserted into the rectum, then the electric current is passed between them to kill the fox.
Australia is not a major fur producing nation, but animals killed for their fur include kangaroos, possums rabbits and foxes. The famous Akubra hat is made from felted rabbit fur.
Fur is not environmentally friendly. Some species have become endangered because of the fur trade. Toxic chemicals are used to preserve the skins and stop them from rotting. Traps catch many unwanted animals apart from the target species.
All the fur shops in Adelaide closed as buyers reacted against the cruelty of fur. Fur is dead fashion - make sure it stays that way by not buying animal skins, not even the small pieces used as trim. All fur products involve death and suffering.
If you want more details about the fur industry, go to More on fur .
If you want to read some poems and stories written by school students about the fur trade, go to Voices for the animals .