Why killing animals for fur is wrong

Shocking videos showing distressed animals have laid bare the conditions they are kept in to feed the fur trend. Fur farms dominate the modern fur trade, and production has more than doubled since the s, to about a hundred million skins in No longer an expensive luxury, these days cheap fur trims can be found on high street shoes and accessories.

The most common animals for fashion fur are mink and fox. The animals—who are housed in unbearably small cages—live with fear, stress, disease, parasites, and other physical and psychological hardships, all for the sake of an unnecessary global industry that makes billions of dollars annually. Amid widespread backlash, fur farming has been banned in a few European countries such as the UK, the Netherlands and Austria. Importing fur is also banned in India, and mink imports are banned in New Zealand.

In an attempt to reassure consumers about its treatment of animals, the fur industry launched the voluntary Fur Europe scheme in The scheme looks at cage size, location, food and overall treatment of the animals. Claims include animals being skinned alive and the killing of cats and dogs for the fur trade, where pelts are deliberately mislabeled and sold overseas.

Real domestic animal furs have even been found in products that were sold as fake fur in the UK. It is very difficult for consumers to distinguish real fur from that which is fake. For decades fur farms have in China have been able to operate without regard to animal welfare.

China has only recently agreed to pass its first comprehensive animal protection laws. Some may argue that wild-caught animals lead happy lives before being killed — and that makes it more ethical.

But serious concerns have been raised about the methods used by hunters such as steel jaw traps or cages, which can leave animals injured and severely stressed for days before the hunter returns to them. Aside from the animal welfare issues surrounding fur, the environmental effects are also cause for concern. Fur requires complex processing and chemical treatments to manufacture. Over 15 European countries have introduced legislation to ban or phase out fur farming, including the UK , The Netherlands , Serbia , Czech Republic , Norway and Belgium Wild animals.

Fur bans. Latest news. More facts. When it rains and the waste washes downhill it wreaks havoc on rivers and streams.

Other times the waste is left to soak into the soil and can contaminate the ground water. The nutrients in the waste lead to algae growth, which depletes the oxygen in the water.

This can kill sensitive species of fish and make the water unsuitable to drink for humans. Many fur farmers have been fined for releasing waste into the environment and contaminating water supply. If you are not bothered with the killing of these animals, you should definitely be worried knowing the chemicals used in this industry can be harmful to you.

My final reason for being against the fur industry is because it is completely unnecessary. Also, there are many other alternatives that are just as stylish and warm as real fur. Fabrics such as polyester and polyvinyl are common cruelty free materials used. Faux fur is even more eco-friendly than real fur. In a study done by Gregory Smith he found that the production of a factory farmed fur coat required nearly twenty times more energy than the production of a faux fur coat.

So there is a lot of gas and resources being used on an unethical and unnecessary product. Many celebrities have even taken a stand to never wear fur and promote what goes on in this industry.

Even popular clothing designers and companies are starting to show compassion and remove fur from their garments. Forever21, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger are some of many companies that converted to using faux fur.

Some people may argue that the fur industry is ethical but after reading my claims, I hope it makes you think again. Animals experience pain and fear just like humans do. Many people may be okay with using cows for leather because we already kill them for their meat or using sheep for their wool, but when it comes to a fox there is absolutely no reason to just kill them for one thing and then trash their body.

So in conclusion, killing animals for their fur is completely wrong. The fur industry is a cruel heartless business that is bad for the environment and is unnecessary. The industry is only concerned about maximizing profits and producing fur, they could care less about the animals well being. If people stop buying fur then no one will sell it, so ultimately its up to the consumers who decide the fate of the fur industry.

Killing animals for fur. Accessed November 11, Killing animals for fur Categories: Animals Cruelty Skin. North America is the world leader in scientific research to make trapping as humane as possible.

On fur farms, mink and foxes are provided with excellent nutrition and care; this is the only way to produce the high quality fur required to compete in international markets. So the North American fur trade also satisfies our second ethical criterion: no unnecessary pain or cruelty is inflicted on fur animals in North America. Humans need clothing to survive, and in many regions we need warm clothing.

Of course there are other materials to keep us warm, but the best of them wool, down, leather also come from animals. In many regions, wildlife populations must be culled annually to maintain healthy and stable populations, to preserve habitat, to protect endangered species e.

If furbearer populations must be culled, surely it is more ethical to use these animals than to discard them? So, the modern fur trade satisfies our third ethical criterion: the animals serve important purposes.

Fur, however, may seem more problematic if the rest of the animal is not used, as is often assumed. In fact, many wild furbearers beaver, muskrat and other species also provide food for First Nations and other people, especially in northern regions where cattle and other livestock cannot easily be raised.