To the Boards of Directors:
We believe that the trapping, raising and killing of animals for their fur is inhumane and should be stopped. There exist many alternatives to fur, from synthetic materials to organic, leaving no justifiable excuse for the continued brutal trade in animals killed for their pelts.
The ugly reality of the fur trade:
- Each year more then 2 million domestic dogs and cats are brutally killed for their fur in China, Thailand and the Philippines. Products made from this pain and suffering are sold in the United States. It is widely known that dog and cat fur has permeated the US fur trim market. Because of deliberate mislabeling by the fur merchants, none of us knows if the fur products sold in your stores come from rabbits, coyote, or from dogs and cats.
- Fur ranchers inbreed animals to develop mutant fur color phases. This has led to genetic defects including white mink that are deaf and pastel mink with nervous disorders.
- Many fur farms will feed the corpses of the skinned animals back to the live animals to save on feed costs. This sort of forced cannibalism was banned in the cattle industry because it was believed to cause Mad Cow disease.
- Ferrets are raised on fur farms in Europe. Studies show that as many as 2/3 of the ferrets on fur farms come down with disease as a result of the poor living conditions.
- 31 million animals are raised and killed on fur farms each year. Mink account for 26 million, fox 4.1 million. Chinchillas, raccoon dogs, fitch and sable make up for most of the other ranch raised furbearers.
- Mink are usually killed by gassing, breaking their neck or poison injection. Most foxes are killed by anal electrocution, while chinchilla breeders recommend either neck breaking or genital electrocution.
- Mink and fox are genetically wild animals that are not adapted to a life in captivity. Whereas a wild mink would range a territory that is approximately 3 square kilometers in size, a ranch raised mink is confined to a cage that is 12 inches wide by 18 inches long.
- The intensive confinement leads to self mutilation, cannibalism, and a high level stress which breaks down the animals immune systems.
- Leghold traps are commonly used by fur trappers. Many animals chew off their own limbs in desperate attempts at escape. This is especially common with raccoons. A 1980 study found that as many as 1 out of every 4 raccoons caught in a leghold trap would chew his/her foot off to escape.
- 10 million animals are trapped for their fur each year. Approximately two non-target animals are caught for every one furbearing animal. These non-target animals include squirrels, opossums, dogs, cats, and even endangered species and birds of prey that are attracted to baited sets.
We are appalled that your department stores continue to sell fur despite years of protests. You know the facts and you know that the reason these animals are slaughtered is purely for financial gain. We ask that you do the right thing, and stop selling animal fur products.
The Undersigned,
