Does the Winter Mean Fur Coats?

Simona Fucili

As the holiday season is approaching, one cannot help notice all of the fur ads you see in magazines and commercials.  The ads portray fur coats as a symbol of elegance and status but fail to show how the original owners of these coats met their gruesome deaths.  According to the Spanish animal-rights organization Igualdad Animal, four hundred thousand minks are killed and turned into fur coats every year.  The organization advocates for the abolition of animal slavery and has been researching the killing of mink to produce fur coats.  Some of Igualdad Animal’s research was recently highlighted by a press agency that focuses on Mediterranean countries referred to as ANSAmed.

November is usually the month where mink farms prepare to harvest the mink fur.  This year, Igualdad Animal Organization decided to videotape this process through the use of hidden cameras.  This ghastly video was distributed through the online version of the Publico newspaper to illustrate “the other side of the fur business and the suffering behind the elegance of a mink coat.”  The video shows a very cruel reality of the harvesting of mink fur.  It vividly illustrates where conditions the mink live in, as well as, the cruel procedure used to separate the fur from the animal.  In the video, you can see that the minks are usually killed by carbon monoxide blown from the exhausts of large tractors.  In addition to the images shown in the video, the organization took more than 650 pictures from various farms in Spain during different hours.  All the material was collected and distributed as part of an investigation conducted by Igualdad Animal organization.  The results of the investigation were published on the Piel Es Asesinato website.

This was the first investigation shown in Spain demonstrating the cruelties performed on minks during the creation of fur coats.  The organization states in the video “people can see minks that have gone completely crazy, held in small cages since they were born, mechanically moving from one side to the other while their mothers are used as breeding machines and then taken away from their young. We show everything the entrepreneurs in the business don’t want people to see, the suffering, the torture and death, to make buyers of mink fur reflect”.  Igualdad Animal is hoping the visual images of the tormenting and killing of the mink will make people think twice about their next fur coat purchase.  In addition to this video, Igualdad Animal Organization has performed protests during various fur fashion shows.  The last spectacular protest was on February 14, 2009 during the Iberpeil exhibition of fur clothing and accessories in Madrid.  The organization continues to pursue its awareness-raising campaign for the use of synthetic fur coats.

The European Union currently has some regulations regarding the protection of animals that are raised and killed for their fur however there is no ban on the practice. Without such a ban, it will be difficult to get companies to stop producing these expensive coats because they are a lucrative business.  This is why animal rights activists must try to decrease demand in order to negatively affect supply.  Companies who produce fur coats may exit the business if demand for fur coats diminished.  Animal rights activists have to continue creating public awareness for the cruelty animals endure during the creation of fur coats.  This will help change the public’s perception of fur coats from a luxury must-have item to one that conger up terrible visual images of animals being tortured.  I believe that as demand for fur coats decrease so will the amounts of fur coats being manufactured.

It is extremely important for people to not turn a blind eye towards animal cruelty when considering their fashion purchases.  I strongly believe that the Igualdad Animal video and various articles published showing and/or describing how animal’s fur is harvested will persuade potential buyers of these coats to find another way to show off their wealth.  Furthermore, animal rights activists must continue to support and promote companies that create coats that utilize alternative materials such as synthetic furs to create warm stylish winter coats.

One Response

  1. Fur coats are hot once again. From minks to chinchilla wraps. We are seeing numerous amounts of fur conversions too. Beloved furs are being recycled into new styles and making their return to the avenues again. It’s a reincarnation of sorts. Ten year old garments reworked into current style.

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