Not Just the Cute and Fluffy

Beaten with a hammer for 2 hours.   Skinned alive and left to die. These are some of the fates of creatures blessed with unique skin – reptiles.

These animals suffer just the same misery as the “cute” ones but get less press. Why? Who knows? Maybe in a looks obsessed world people don’t care if the “ugly” suffer or maybe exotic leather (skin) is seen more socially acceptable. Whichever reason is true we need to look at this trade with the same disgust we do fur – no animal should die for human vanity.

Snakes are often nailed to a tree and skinned alive before just being thrown on to a pile to die – which can take days. They die of shock and dehydration. Pythons are filled with water to make the skinning process easier. Alligators are beaten to death with hammer – which can take two hours. Is the suffering worth it for a pair of shoes, or a watch strap?

Maybe these animals are ugly, maybe they are cold blooded but if you’re wearing their skin so are you.

The Real Fashion Victims

The Real Fashion Victims


Here are some facts about some of the animals used in the fur trade. 


Chinchillas

 
  


Chinchilla belongs to the rodent family, and is a popular indoor pet. 


They have sweet friendly nature.


These rodents are odourless and because of its thick fur it does not attract fleas or pests. 


Chinchillas are native to the Andes Mountains in South America. They got their name from a South American Indian tribe which means 'Little Chinta'.


There are several fur colours. Some of the most common fur colours of chinchilla are grey, beige, ebony, white, black, violet and so on. The length of their body is 9 - 12 inches and they weigh around one or two pounds. Their eyes are typically dark or ruby red in colour.


They have such a dense fur and in each and every hair follicle, there is almost 80 - 100 hair.
In general, a female chinchilla breeds two times in a year. On an average, their gestation period is around 111 days.


Baby chinchillas are known as kits. When they are born, they have their eyes opened, their body is fully covered with fur and they start their playful activities soon after birth.


Chinchillas are nocturnal creatures. That means that they sleep throughout the day and the night-time is their play time!


A unique feature of chinchillas is that they tend to release a part of their fur when they feel scared. However, the fur grows back on its own. This helps them to mislead their predator when they are under attack.


An average lifespan of a chinchilla is somewhere between 10 - 20 years.


They were hunted in large scale to obtain fur from their skin. As a result, the species was almost on the verge of extinction.






Raccoon Dogs

 




   
They are called Raccoon dogs due to their resemblance to raccoons. 


Raccoon Dogs grow to about the size of small Cocker Spaniel. They stand about 9” tall and are between 20/23” long, excluding tail. Their tails are about 7” long.


They are indigenous to Asia. 


They live around 8 years in the wild, but only 1% live to see 5. Around 88% die in their first year.


They live near water and are omnivores.


They live in pairs or small family groups, and are monogamous.


They are mainly nocturnal.


If winters are harsh Raccoon dogs will hibernate. They hibernate is pairs, maintaining body contact with one another while sleeping. They are the only Canids to hibernate.


They are “hands on” fathers. They will feed their pregnant mate, and help raise the young.


Females are pregnant for 9 weeks and have litters of between 4 and 9. 


Pups weigh between 3 to 4oz at birth. Their eyes stay closed for between 7 and 10 days. They emerge from the den after around 4 weeks and are weaned in around 5 weeks , but will stay with their parents for months after.


They like to climb trees.


Raccoon dogs are not aggressive. They will flee or curl up in a ball for protection. 


They are not noisy as adults, but their vocal range is more similar to cats than a dogs.
In Japan they have been hunted to near extinction for their fur, meat and their bones – which are used in traditional medicines. 


Mink

 


Mink are semiaquatic carnivorous mammal of the genus Mustela. 


One species, Mustela vison, is found over most of North America and another, M. lutreola, inhabits Europe–where it is now rare except in Russia–and central Asia. 


The mink has a slender, arched body, with a long neck, short legs, and a bushy tail. The fur is thick and shiny; in wild strains it is rich brown all over the body, except for a white throat patch. 


Like other members of the weasel family, minks have musk glands that produce an acrid secretion. 


They are excellent swimmers; they usually live near water, where they catch much of their food. 


The American mink feeds on aquatic mammals, such as muskrat, as well as fish, frogs, crustaceans, and birds.


They are about 20 to 28 in. (51—71 cm) long, including the 7 to 9 in. (18—23 cm) tail. 


Descendants of escaped farm animals have established mink populations where none previously existed, e.g., in Great Britain and Iceland. 


Minks are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae.


An early behavioral study was performed in the 1960s that assessed visual learning ability in mink, ferrets, skunks, and house cats. Animals were tested on their ability to recognize objects, learn their valences and make object selections from memory. Mink were found to outperform ferrets, skunks and cats in this task.




Fur Seals

 

   
They are carnivores.


Average life span in the wild is between 12 to 30 years


They grow between 4 to 10 ft (1.2 to 3.1 m) and weigh up to 700 lbs (317 kg)


There are many species of seals named for the fine fur that makes them so attractive to hunters. The large northern fur seal, found in chilly northern waters, was hunted to near extinction during the 19th century. These animals were protected by law in 1911, and populations later rebounded to 1.3 million animals.


There are eight species of southern fur seals, all smaller than their northern relative. They include the Guadalupe fur seal of Baja California, the South African fur seal, the South American fur seal, and the Australian fur seal.


Fur seals have sharp eyesight and keen hearing. They have small ears, unlike the earless or hair seals.


Although they breathe air, seals are most at home in the water and may stay at sea for weeks at a time eating fish, squid, birds, and tiny shrimp-like krill. Fur seals may swim by themselves or gather in small groups.


When breeding season arrives, however, these social animals gather on shore in very large numbers. Powerful males, known as bulls, establish territories and gather harems of up to 40 females, battling their rivals to establish dominance. During this season, coastlines are filled with roaring, growling, honking seals.


Female fur seals, or cows, give birth during this breeding season, then mate again just a few days later. The following year they will return to give birth to a single pup after a nearly yearlong pregnancy, and mate once again to continue the cycle.


Mother seals and pups find each other using a familiar call. A study in Alaska found that mothers and offspring were still able to recognize each other’s' calls even after a separation of four years.


Many fur seal populations have not rebounded from extensive hunting, and now face additional threats from climate change and overfishing, which can limit their prey.


Harp Seals

 




They are carnivores


Average life span in the wild is 20 years


They grow between 5.25 to 6.25 ft (1.6 to 1.9 m) and weigh up to 400 lbs (180 kg)


Harp seals spend relatively little time on land and prefer to swim in the North Atlantic and Arctic 
Oceans. These sleek swimmers cruise the chilly waters and feed on fish and crustaceans. 
They can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes. 


Harp seals are sometimes called saddleback seals because of the dark, saddle like marking on the back and sides of their light yellow or grey bodies.


Both sexes return each year to breeding grounds in Newfoundland, the Greenland Sea, and the White Sea. On this turf males fight for their mates, battling with sharp teeth and powerful flippers.


When the mating ends, females gather in groups to give birth. Young harp seals are born on the ice, and mothers identify their own offspring from the multitudes by their smell. The young seals are famous for their snowy white coats. This fluffy fur is highly valued and has drawn hunters to the Newfoundland breeding grounds for two centuries. During the past several decades these grounds have become the scene of a human conflict between sealers and outraged environmentalists and animal rights activists. Modern hunts are better regulated than in the past, but the harp seal remains perhaps the most commercially important seal, with hundreds of thousands killed each year.


This is not an extensive list – cats and dogs are also used, as are beavers, bears, foxes and rabbits.   

Fur Loving Facebook Groups.

“Real Women Wear Fur” and “Fur is Worn by Beautiful People & Ugly Animals -Their titles are a clear swipe at anti-fur groups/individuals and a look on their pages show a clear mocking of anyone who dares to speak against their fashion choice.

Here is a sample of their posts

Real Women Wear Fur

Real Women Wear Fur Or better yet, stay locked up in a mental institution until she's cure of animal rights activism disorder.

Fur is Worn by Beautiful People & Ugly Animals

 “Fur Is Worn by Beautiful Animals and Ugly People” - PETA... Well we all know PETA never gets anything right, therefore I think they meant to say: “Fur Is Worn by Beautiful People and Ugly Animals”

Fur is worn by beautiful people & ugly animals 

How old are you? A mature person doesn't think that acting childish and stupid is admirable. No one thinks an animal rights activist is anything other than an immature moron, EXCEPT other animal rights activists. You guys crow and preen and pat each other on the back like you are saving animals by spamming and annoying others while the whole wide world rolls their eyes and laughs at you for being an over-emotional freak.

Yesterday at 16:59

Apparently its people like me with the issue for refusing to believe its ok for an animal to die in this day and age for the likes of them and Kim K to have a new vest.  You people do not live in an ice age, since you have Facebook – you are not nomads living off your wits and the land in the middle of nowhere shunning modern times, because your coat is expensive or from a clubbed seal, it does not mean you’re not playing a part in keeping the Chinese fur farms open – your pages promote fur that the average person cannot afford – they will buy cheap copies, and it doesn’t change that animals should not die for fashion, fashion is pointless  – a life should be worth more than vanity.

MSJ

P.S. There is also Fur is Eco-Fabulous.

They are not quite so hateful on their page but will brand you troll and a cult member if you disagree with them.

They claim fur is green – this is incorrect. Fur is a "natural fibre" when it is on an animal's back, to be used it must treated or “tanned" in order to stop it from biodegrading. This uses caustic chemicals including formaldehyde and chromium. These are serious environmental contaminants. The US Environmental Protection also claims that wastes from fur processing plants "may cause respiratory problems, and are listed as possible carcinogens."

Fur farms also consume a great deal of energy. In fact, a study by Ford Motor Co. researcher Gregory Smith found that production of a factory farmed fur coat required nearly 20 times more energy than the production of a synthetic coat.

The large amount of animal faeces produced at fur farms also pollutes soil, rivers and lakes.

fur is murder!

fur is not a good look some celebrities do wear and promote this cruel trade here im going to name some whilst you look at these fur wearing celebs please remember the poor animals who suffered horrendously for them to wear this brutal fashion!   please note these are only a handfull of celebs who wear and promote this ugly cruel look!

Victoria Beckham now a designer herself lets hope she doesnt start using fur and stops wearing fur herself!

The Kim Kardashian the biggest lover of fur at the moment she knows all about the fur farms and promotes fur to the fullest!

   

Mary J. Blige a very big fur wearer and ignorant to the abuse and suffering of the animals!

Beyonce a fur wearer whos recently had a baby lets hope she stops wearing fur and raises her baby to do the same!

Eva Longeria wears fur alot wonder if shes seen the footage from fur farms and knows what shes funding!?

Jennifer Lopez a big fur wearer she has been for many years such a shame as she has many young female and male admirers!

The Olsen Twins these two know the ins and outs of the fur industry but still choose to wear it!

Liz Hurley shes been pictured in alot of fur again shes ignorant to what goes on in furfarms she has pets herself!

Madonna a big wearer of fur and again shes a big role model for the younger generation she knows exactly the process of how fur products are made!

Jessica Simpson a fur wearer who says shes loves animals and is always pictured with her dogs, to wear fur is not an animal lover!

50 Cent a big star on the music scene pictured in fur most of the time many followers in his fashion, hes arrogant to furfarms and the cruelty they harbour!

Kanye West a big wearer of fur and attends most fashion weeks to buy more he knows the fur industry well!

Naomi Campbell to see how much fur she wears and to know she use to work so close with PETA and be anti-fur   she knows everything and how the animals in furfarms are treated and she can still wear fur SHOCKING!

                                                                                                  

Fur is not fabric… fur is murder.

What do you think when you see a fur coat?? A symbol of wealth?  A fashion statement? Or the pain and misery of the animals the fur was ripped from?

There seems to be so much real fur on display at the moment, on the catwalks of the recent fashion weeks and on celebrities, I can’t help but wonder if people have forgotten fur isn’t a fabric. Designers etc. will tell you that it was obtained humanly, but ask how you humanly kill health creatures just so someone can have a coat and they struggle to answer. After all it is 2012 and there are alternatives and we don’t live in an ice age!  

Of course some fur farms are better than others, but any fur designs encourages fur into fashion and most people can’t afford the “humane” designer fur and buy the cheap copies where the fur comes from China or via pet dogs and cats stolen from the streets. Even faux fur feeds into keeping fur in fashion, plus faux fur from China has found to include cat, dog and rabbit fur.

As you can tell China has a lot to answer for when it comes to fur, this is because of the lack of laws protecting animals and lack of labelling laws.

The Chinese fur farms are living hell. Anyone that has been to one has said the only thing worse than dying on one, is living on one.

Ok here is where it gets horrifying... Animals on fur farm in China suffer the most barbaric treatment; they are left without food or water, to suffer all the weather elements, crapped into small cages. They go mad with the torment they suffer; they chew off their own limbs and some just scream the whole time.

When it comes to “harvesting” these poor creatures are beaten, crushed, anally or vaginally electrocuted or just skinned alive, after having their limbs (if they still have them) removed to stop them struggling. Most stay aware throughout the process and even live for minutes after the process is done. The killing is done in plain view of the next victims. If you can stomach it and want to check I’m speaking the truth there will be video links added soon on this blog.

When you learn about the horror & misery that goes into fur, you wonder how anyone could possibly want to be associated with it, but so many magazines, such as Vogue, and celebrates, such as Kim Kardaishian are on the payroll of fur companies it shocking. I would personally rather be a prostitute than earn my money off this horror.  

So next time you see someone in a fur coat, you will know who the real fashion victims are.