n dont buy fur, boycott, torture, slvary, mistreatment,abuse

A

JANUARY 19, 2011

The True Cost of Fur: Is It Worth It?

Dying to get your very own luxury fur coat? Well, so are minks.

A year-and-a-half long investigation of fur farms in Sweden by the Animal Rights Alliance has revealed shocking footage of minks who suffer from open wounds and painful infections. The animals are stuffed in filthy wire cages, causing them severe psychological distress and leading many minks to resort to self-mutilation or cannibalism while they fearfully wait to be skinned.

Please speak up for the countless animals who suffer and die every year at the hands of the fur industry. Pledge to be fur-free and urge your friends and family to join you today!


Sincerely,


Pulin Modi
Action Team Manager
ActionTeam@peta.org
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

January 17, 2011

Animals Used for Fur

Beavers

Beavers are extremely gentle, family-oriented animals who mate for life and remain lifelong friends with their offspring. The second-largest rodent in the world, the beaver can live 19 years, reach 60 pounds, and grow up to 4 feet long. Baby beavers, or "kits," are usually born to hard-working, loving parents who have been together for many years. Female beavers are especially busy as they care for their young while looking after their rambunctious "teenagers." Read More

Beavers are master architects—their complicated, well-built lodges can stand for years. These "busy beavers" take pride in their work and are constantly concerned with repairs to their homes. Beavers' activity helps keep stream beds healthy and in good repair, and beavers are a keystone species in an ecosystem because they create wetlands that are used by many other species.
When startled or frightened, a swimming beaver will rapidly dive while forcefully slapping the water with his or her broad tail. This creates a loud sound, audible over large distances above and below water, which serves as a warning to other beavers in the area. Once a beaver has made this danger signal, all nearby beavers will dive and may not reemerge for some time. At one point in time, these industrious, clever animals were hunted and trapped nearly to extinction. Beavers today are still in constant danger of being caught in traps.
The body-gripping traps used to capture and kill beavers cause these sensitive animals immeasurable suffering. In many cases, Conibear (body-gripping) traps fail to catch the animals quickly or on target. If the traps do not kill the beavers immediately, they can slowly drown, suffering for up to 20 minutes. Death by drowning is extremely cruel—the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) condemns it in its 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia.
Close X

Chinchillas

Chinchillas are shy, intelligent animals who eat vegetables and fruits and can live up to 15 years in the wild. Social "chatterboxes," these sensitive nocturnal animals can spend all night long "talking" to one another. Fastidiously clean, they require frequent dust baths to care for their extremely dense fur. These "fluff fests" also provide invaluable moments of comfort and entertainment—moments that are denied caged chinchillas who are cruelly "farmed" for their fur. Read More

Originally found only in South America in communities of up to 100 members, chinchillas are now bred by fur farmers or pet store distributors who then sell them as "pets" to often ill-informed people. Captive chinchillas live for around 15 years, but some have been known to live up to 20 years or more. Chinchillas are naturally skittish. They also have delicate bones and generally dislike being held.
Chinchillas express themselves with a variety of vocalizations, including barks, chirps, and squeaks. They can make calm, loving chirps for potential mates as well as loud, aggressive barks when spooked. Active and inquisitive by nature, chinchillas need to exercise and satisfy their curiosity—two activities that are denied them on fur farms.
The demand for chinchilla fur has resulted in their near extinction. On a fur farm in Midland, Michigan, PETA investigators observed that chinchillas were suffering from painful seizures after being electrocuted or having their necks broken while they were still conscious.
Close X

Dogs and Cats

"Man's best friend" killed for fur? It's not just a bad dream. PETA's recent undercover investigation into the Chinese dog and cat fur trade revealed what the industry is so desperate to hide. Even our veteran investigators were horrified at what they found: Millions of dogs and cats in China are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and strangled with wire nooses so that their fur can be turned into trim and trinkets. Read More

Dog and cat fur is often deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species and is exported to countries throughout the world to be sold to unsuspecting consumers. China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the U.S. So, if you're buying fur, there's no way to tell exactly whose skin you're wearing.
Close X

Foxes

Foxes are intelligent nocturnal animals who rely on their big bushy tails to spread scent in order to communicate. Foxes usually survive by eating fruit, berries, roots, carrion, rats, and slugs. Foxes play an important ecological role, as they "clean" the environment, and their survival often depends upon the amount of available food in their territories. They bury food and have a very good sense of hearing, picking up sounds of small animals in the grass, underground, or under the snow. They have a keen sense of smell and will hunt from dusk to dawn. Read More

Although they usually live only one to two years, foxes have been known to survive nine years if left alone by humans, their sole predator. Foxes can run at speeds of up to 26 miles per hour and will run along logs, double back, or wade in water so that hunters' dogs cannot follow their scent; they will also warn others with a sharp bark. Female foxes work together to care for their families' babies, and young foxes ultimately learn how to take care of themselves through play.
Unfortunately, many young foxes are not given this opportunity to learn from their mothers' and aunts' gentle nudging. Instead, they are raised on factory farms in tiny, filthy wire cages. Many of these foxes live for years in hideous conditions before farmers kill them and sell their fur to make coats, cuffs, collars, and trim. Others are caught in steel-jaw traps, which crush their legs until trappers arrive to beat them to death hours or days later. In many parts of the country, frantic foxes are pursued by starved hunting dogs for "sport." Once the dogs catch up to them, they tear the terrified foxes limb from limb.
Close X

Minks

Sometimes called "marsh otters," minks love to swim (aided by their slightly webbed hind feet) and are often found near water. They can swim to depths of 50 feet underwater on just one breath. In the wild, minks are generally territorial and solitary and often travel long distances, sometimes using the dens of other animals as "hotel pit stops." Minks prefer habitats that provide good cover—such as grass, brush, trees, and aquatic vegetation—and they make their dens in cavities in brush or rock piles, logjams, and exposed roots of trees. Read More

Minks raised and killed on fur factory farms are forced to live in small, dirty, barren cages and are denied any opportunity to swim; this causes them untold stress by suppressing their natural urges. Cramped wire cages prevent minks from indulging their innate desire to roam, and factory-farmed minks are often seen bobbing their heads and pacing—neurotic, repetitive behavior that is a sign of severe psychological distress.
Close X

Rabbits

Rabbits are extremely social animals who live with their families in underground burrows called "warrens." They can hop faster than a cat, human, or white-tailed deer can run. Rabbits love nibbling on alfalfa, timothy hay, apples, carrots, and crisp, green veggies, and they chew vigorously to trim their front teeth, which never stop growing. They communicate through body language, marking their territories like cats by rubbing their chins on twigs, rocks, or other landmarks. Read More

People who have adopted domestic rabbits from animal shelters know that they can be extremely affectionate, snuggling with their human companions and gently nuzzling their necks. Rabbits are sensitive, smart animals with individual personalities, just like dogs and cats. They make lifelong bonds with other rabbits and humans, play with toys, and can even learn to use litterboxes.
About a billion rabbits are killed yearly for their skins, as many as 70 million in France alone. Like other animals who are farmed for their fur, rabbits—who are extremely clean by nature—are kept in tiny, filthy cages, surrounded by their own waste. They spend their entire miserable lives standing on the thin cage wires that constantly cut into their sensitive footpads, never having a chance to dig, jump, or play. Fur farmers kill rabbits using cruel methods—breaking their necks or beating in their skulls—before stringing them up by the legs and cutting off their heads.
Close X

Raccoons

Raccoons can be recognized by their beautiful eyes, which are outlined by a black mask of fur. They have thick, fuzzy brown-gray fur, and highly sensitive ears tufted with white fur. Those who live in humid, dense forests have darker fur than those in arid climates, where raccoon fur is a lighter, reddish color. Their bushy tails keep them balanced and stores fat during winter months, while their front limbs provide them with great manual dexterity. Read More

Raccoons are omnivores and eat frogs, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, insects, and grain, among other things. Although they are primarily nocturnal, raccoons are often seen frolicking during the day when they haven't detected a human's presence. They are intelligent animals (often figuring out the most complicated locks) who, sadly, have had to adapt to the loss of their habitat because of human development. They will make their nests almost anywhere—in tree cavities, brush piles, abandoned burrows, chimneys, attics, and barn lofts—and usually have more than one den. They have routines for finding food and shelter, and they can plot out and remember different hiding places for each. In the wild, raccoons can live seven years or longer.
Raccoons' lives are often cut short by cruel humans who covet their fur. Like foxes, raccoons are hunted by starved dogs and often suffer in steel-jaw traps, where they endure hours of agony before they are killed—or chew an arm or leg off in an effort to escape.
Close X

Seals

For thousands of years, harp seals have migrated from Greenland down the coast of Canada, stopping each spring to give birth on the ice floes. Read More

Female harp seals give birth to one pup each year. Seal pups are born with silky white fur, which they molt around two weeks of age. Mothers and pups form a very strong bond and recognize each other by sound and smell. Female seals nurse their pups for a few days before going out to sea to feed, leaving the pup in a nursery group or a protected area for three to five days. When the mothers return, they call their pup with a distinctive bark that the pup will answer.
Thousands of the mothers return from feeding to find that their pup has been murdered during the Canadian seal slaughter. During this slaughter, tens of thousands of seals are bludgeoned and skinned so that their fur can be turned into fur coats.
Close X

Bears

For nearly two centuries, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has waged a war on black bears, subsidizing the slaughter of hundreds of these animals in Canada and using their pelts to make headpieces for The Queen's Guards. Read More

Bears are cruelly killed for their hides; they are either shot during hunts or ensnared, sometimes for days, in painful traps. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources reports that during hunts, as many as one bear in seven is not killed immediately after being shot, and some escape wounded, often dying later from blood loss, gangrene, or starvation.
Mother bears who are killed leave behind orphaned cubs who are completely dependent on them for food during their first 17 months. When left alone in the wilderness, the cubs often cannot survive. In many areas, there are few restrictions against shooting mother bears with nursing cubs, leading to the destruction of entire families.
It is common for bears to be hunted at bait sites. Food is left regularly for hungry bears so that they will become accustomed to going to the same spot to find food. Hunters then hide in tree stands and shoot at the bears who come looking for their regular meal.
Although the MoD has acknowledged that it is time for a change, it has delayed taking any action. It is inexcusable that the same army which is capable of building some of the most sophisticated equipment and machinery in the world claims it is unable to find a synthetic replacement for bearskins after almost three decades of "searching" and despite the wide availability of luxurious synthetic materials. Meanwhile, it is money from buyers such as the British Army that keeps hunters making profits from killing these animals. Bears aren't crops to be "harvested"; they are individuals who live in families and feel pain and terror when shot.
Close X
..
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/animals-used-for-fur.aspx?c=causesswedishfur0111

JANUARY 18, 2011

Beavers

Beavers are extremely gentle, family-oriented animals who mate for life and remain lifelong friends with their offspring. The second-largest rodent in the world, the beaver can live 19 years, reach 60 pounds, and grow up to 4 feet long. Baby beavers, or "kits," are usually born to hard-working, loving parents who have been together for many years. Female beavers are especially busy as they care for their young while looking after their rambunctious "teenagers." Read More

Beavers are master architects—their complicated, well-built lodges can stand for years. These "busy beavers" take pride in their work and are constantly concerned with repairs to their homes. Beavers' activity helps keep stream beds healthy and in good repair, and beavers are a keystone species in an ecosystem because they create wetlands that are used by many other species.

When startled or frightened, a swimming beaver will rapidly dive while forcefully slapping the water with his or her broad tail. This creates a loud sound, audible over large distances above and below water, which serves as a warning to other beavers in the area. Once a beaver has made this danger signal, all nearby beavers will dive and may not reemerge for some time. At one point in time, these industrious, clever animals were hunted and trapped nearly to extinction. Beavers today are still in constant danger of being caught in traps.
The body-gripping traps used to capture and kill beavers cause these sensitive animals immeasurable suffering. In many cases, Conibear (body-gripping) traps fail to catch the animals quickly or on target. If the traps do not kill the beavers immediately, they can slowly drown, suffering for up to 20 minutes. Death by drowning is extremely cruel—the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) condemns it in its 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia.

JANUARY 18, 2011

Chinchillas

Chinchillas are shy, intelligent animals who eat vegetables and fruits and can live up to 15 years in the wild. Social "chatterboxes," these sensitive nocturnal animals can spend all night long "talking" to one another. Fastidiously clean, they require frequent dust baths to care for their extremely dense fur. These "fluff fests" also provide invaluable moments of comfort and entertainment—moments that are denied caged chinchillas who are cruelly "farmed" for their fur. Read More

Originally found only in South America in communities of up to 100 members, chinchillas are now bred by fur farmers or pet store distributors who then sell them as "pets" to often ill-informed people. Captive chinchillas live for around 15 years, but some have been known to live up to 20 years or more. Chinchillas are naturally skittish. They also have delicate bones and generally dislike being held.

Chinchillas express themselves with a variety of vocalizations, including barks, chirps, and squeaks. They can make calm, loving chirps for potential mates as well as loud, aggressive barks when spooked. Active and inquisitive by nature, chinchillas need to exercise and satisfy their curiosity—two activities that are denied them on fur farms.

The demand for chinchilla fur has resulted in their near extinction. On a fur farm in Midland, Michigan, PETA investigators observed that chinchillas were suffering from painful seizures after being electrocuted or having their necks broken while they were still conscious.

JANUARY 18, 2011

Dogs and Cats

"Man's best friend" killed for fur? It's not just a bad dream. PETA's recent undercover investigation into the Chinese dog and cat fur trade revealed what the industry is so desperate to hide. Even our veteran investigators were horrified at what they found: Millions of dogs and cats in China are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and strangled with wire nooses so that their fur can be turned into trim and trinkets. Read More

Dog and cat fur is often deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species and is exported to countries throughout the world to be sold to unsuspecting consumers. China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the U.S. So, if you're buying fur, there's no way to tell exactly whose skin you're wearing.

JANUARY 18, 2011

In This Section+ Fur
+ The Chinese Fur Industry
+ Fur Farms
+ Fur Trapping
+ Environmental Hazards of Fur
+ Animals Used for Fur
+ Canadian Seal Slaughter
+ Leather
+ Leather and Factory Farming + The Global Leather Trade + Environmental Hazards of Leather + Animals Used for Leather
+ Wool
+ Hidden Lives of Sheep + Mulesing + Live Export + Environmental Hazards of Wool
+ Exotic Skins
+ Other Animals Used for Their Skins
+ Factsheets
+ Photos
..FeaturesRecent Popular Related
Taraji P. Henson Bares All for Animals
NFL's McGahee Gets Naked for PETA
Star in Your Own PETA Ad
Photos of Cute and Cuddly Animals Killed by the Fur Trade
Win Vegan Cooking Classes From SporkOnline
See All Features >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED January Is Unchain a Dog Month: Come to the Rescue of Neglected Dogs
Join PETA's Online Marketing Team
Eva Mendes Speaks Out Against Wearing Fur
Chester Bennington Chooses 'Ink, Not Mink'
NBA's Amar'e Stoudemire Chooses "Ink, Not Mink"
See All Features >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED Photos of Cute and Cuddly Animals Killed by the Fur Trade
The Lingerie Football League's Racy PETA Ad
WNBA's Candace Parker Fights Fur
Worst-Dressed Celebrities of 2010: Winner
Save the Seals Celebrity Ad Series
See All Features >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED .
.VideosRecent Popular Related

Sex and the Kitty

Jane Lynch Spay/Neuter TV PSA

Wrong Meeting?
See All Videos >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED
Joaquin Phoenix Reveals Exotic-Skins Horrors

Christian Serratos' 'Save the Seals' Photo Shoot

Stolen for Fashion
See All Videos >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED
Pamela Anderson: Skins Trade Exposed

'Fur Is Dead'

Persia White's Anti-Fur PSA for PETA
See All Videos >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED .
.Action Alerts Your Voice Needed Today!
Ask YMCA in Youngstown, Ohio, to Cancel Puppy Auction!
Tell Colorado Restaurant to Ditch Lobster 'Game'
Urge Thailand Dog Shelter to Improve Conditions!
Save Alaskan Wolves From Cruel Aerial Hunts!
See all entries >> SUBSCRIBE TO FEED
.. ..The Chinese Fur Industry
..
... ..There are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms in China, which is the world's largest fur exporter, supplying more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Foxes, minks, rabbits, dogs, cats, and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire cages, with no shelter from driving rain, freezing nights, or the scorching sun.

Mother animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters. Disease and injuries are widespread, and animals suffering from anxiety-induced psychosis chew on their own limbs and throw themselves repeatedly against the cage bars.

Before they are skinned, animals are yanked from their cages, thrown to the ground, and bludgeoned. Undercover investigators from Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International found that many animals are still alive and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them.

When they begin to cut the skin and fur from an animal's leg, the free limbs kick and writhe. Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who struggle too hard to allow a clean cut.

When the fur is finally peeled off over the animals' heads, their hairless, bloody bodies are thrown onto a pile of those who have gone before them. Some are still alive, breathing in ragged gasps and blinking slowly. Some of the animals' hearts are still beating five to 10 minutes after they are skinned. One investigator recorded a skinned raccoon dog on the heap of carcasses who had enough strength to lift his bloodied head and stare into the camera.

....When investigators went into another animal market in southern China, they were horrified to find dogs and cats being bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and strangled with wire nooses so that their fur could be turned into trim and trinkets.

They found cats and dogs languishing in tiny cages, visibly exhausted. Some had been on the road for days, transported in flimsy wire-mesh cages with no food or water.

Twenty cats were forced into a single cage. Because of the cross-country transport in such deplorable conditions, the investigators were able to see dogs and cats with open wounds, dying cats and dogs inside the cages, and dead cats on top of the cages. Some animals were lethargic or frightened, and others were fighting with each other, driven insane from confinement and exposure.

Up to 8,000 animals are loaded onto each truck, with cages stacked on top of each other. Cages containing live animals are commonly tossed from the tops of the trucks onto the ground 10 feet below, shattering the legs of the animals inside them. Many of the animals still had collars on, a sign that they were once someone's beloved companion, stolen to be made into a fur coat.

This fur from China is often deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species and is exported to countries throughout the world to be sold to unsuspecting customers in retail stores. Since China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States and since dog and cat fur is often mislabeled, if you're buying fur, there's no way to tell whose skin you're wearing, including that of a dog or cat.

VIDEO : http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/chinese-fur-industry.aspx

january 18, 2011

Foxes

Foxes are intelligent nocturnal animals who rely on their big bushy tails to spread scent in order to communicate. Foxes usually survive by eating fruit, berries, roots, carrion, rats, and slugs. Foxes play an important ecological role, as they "clean" the environment, and their survival often depends upon the amount of available food in their territories. They bury food and have a very good sense of hearing, picking up sounds of small animals in the grass, underground, or under the snow. They have a keen sense of smell and will hunt from dusk to dawn. Read More

Although they usually live only one to two years, foxes have been known to survive nine years if left alone by humans, their sole predator. Foxes can run at speeds of up to 26 miles per hour and will run along logs, double back, or wade in water so that hunters' dogs cannot follow their scent; they will also warn others with a sharp bark. Female foxes work together to care for their families' babies, and young foxes ultimately learn how to take care of themselves through play.

Unfortunately, many young foxes are not given this opportunity to learn from their mothers' and aunts' gentle nudging. Instead, they are raised on factory farms in tiny, filthy wire cages. Many of these foxes live for years in hideous conditions before farmers kill them and sell their fur to make coats, cuffs, collars, and trim. Others are caught in steel-jaw traps, which crush their legs until trappers arrive to beat them to death hours or days later. In many parts of the country, frantic foxes are pursued by starved hunting dogs for "sport." Once the dogs catch up to them, they tear the terrified foxes limb from limb.

JANUARY 18, 2011

Minks

Sometimes called "marsh otters," minks love to swim (aided by their slightly webbed hind feet) and are often found near water. They can swim to depths of 50 feet underwater on just one breath. In the wild, minks are generally territorial and solitary and often travel long distances, sometimes using the dens of other animals as "hotel pit stops." Minks prefer habitats that provide good cover—such as grass, brush, trees, and aquatic vegetation—and they make their dens in cavities in brush or rock piles, logjams, and exposed roots of trees. Read More

Minks raised and killed on fur factory farms are forced to live in small, dirty, barren cages and are denied any opportunity to swim; this causes them untold stress by suppressing their natural urges. Cramped wire cages prevent minks from indulging their innate desire to roam, and factory-farmed minks are often seen bobbing their heads and pacing—neurotic, repetitive behavior that is a sign of severe psychological distress.

January 18, 2011

Rabbits

Rabbits are extremely social animals who live with their families in underground burrows called "warrens." They can hop faster than a cat, human, or white-tailed deer can run. Rabbits love nibbling on alfalfa, timothy hay, apples, carrots, and crisp, green veggies, and they chew vigorously to trim their front teeth, which never stop growing. They communicate through body language, marking their territories like cats by rubbing their chins on twigs, rocks, or other landmarks. Read More

People who have adopted domestic rabbits from animal shelters know that they can be extremely affectionate, snuggling with their human companions and gently nuzzling their necks. Rabbits are sensitive, smart animals with individual personalities, just like dogs and cats. They make lifelong bonds with other rabbits and humans, play with toys, and can even learn to use litterboxes.

About a billion rabbits are killed yearly for their skins, as many as 70 million in France alone. Like other animals who are farmed for their fur, rabbits—who are extremely clean by nature—are kept in tiny, filthy cages, surrounded by their own waste. They spend their entire miserable lives standing on the thin cage wires that constantly cut into their sensitive footpads, never having a chance to dig, jump, or play. Fur farmers kill rabbits using cruel methods—breaking their necks or beating in their skulls—before stringing them up by the legs and cutting off their heads.

January 18, 2011


Raccoons

Raccoons can be recognized by their beautiful eyes, which are outlined by a black mask of fur. They have thick, fuzzy brown-gray fur, and highly sensitive ears tufted with white fur. Those who live in humid, dense forests have darker fur than those in arid climates, where raccoon fur is a lighter, reddish color. Their bushy tails keep them balanced and stores fat during winter months, while their front limbs provide them with great manual dexterity. Read More

Raccoons are omnivores and eat frogs, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, insects, and grain, among other things. Although they are primarily nocturnal, raccoons are often seen frolicking during the day when they haven't detected a human's presence. They are intelligent animals (often figuring out the most complicated locks) who, sadly, have had to adapt to the loss of their habitat because of human development. They will make their nests almost anywhere—in tree cavities, brush piles, abandoned burrows, chimneys, attics, and barn lofts—and usually have more than one den. They have routines for finding food and shelter, and they can plot out and remember different hiding places for each. In the wild, raccoons can live seven years or longer.

Raccoons' lives are often cut short by cruel humans who covet their fur. Like foxes, raccoons are hunted by starved dogs and often suffer in steel-jaw traps, where they endure hours of agony before they are killed—or chew an arm or leg off in an effort to escape.

January 17, 2011

Seals

For thousands of years, harp seals have migrated from Greenland down the coast of Canada, stopping each spring to give birth on the ice floes. Read More

Female harp seals give birth to one pup each year. Seal pups are born with silky white fur, which they molt around two weeks of age. Mothers and pups form a very strong bond and recognize each other by sound and smell. Female seals nurse their pups for a few days before going out to sea to feed, leaving the pup in a nursery group or a protected area for three to five days. When the mothers return, they call their pup with a distinctive bark that the pup will answer.

Thousands of the mothers return from feeding to find that their pup has been murdered during the Canadian seal slaughter. During this slaughter, tens of thousands of seals are bludgeoned and skinned so that their fur can be turned into fur coats.

January 17, 2011

Canadian Seal Slaughter
..
... ..Each year, the Canadian government gives hunters the green light to bludgeon to death hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals. During the slaughter, baby seals are shot or repeatedly clubbed. Sealers bludgeon the animals with clubs and "hakapiks" (metal-hook–tipped clubs) and drag the seals—who are often still conscious—across the ice floes with boat hooks.

Hunters toss dead and dying seals into heaps and leave their carcasses to rot on the ice floes because there is no market for seal meat. Veterinarians who have investigated the slaughter have found that hunters routinely fail to comply with Canada's animal welfare standards.

Baby seals are helpless and have no way to escape from the sealers' clubs. A Washington Post article on the seal slaughter described it this way: "[A] seal appearing to gasp for air, blood running from its nose as it lies on an ice floe. Not far away, a sealer sharpens his knife blade. The seal seems to be thrashing as its fur is sliced from its torso."

....The Christian Science Monitor wrote: "The few terrified survivors, left to crawl through the carnage. The shouted obscenities and threats from the sealers, gunfire cracking ominously in the distance. The pitiful cries of the pups; the repellent thuds of clubs raining down on soft skulls. Sealers' laughter echoing across the ice floes."

Many seals who are killed are 3 months old or younger. Many have not yet learned how to swim or eaten their first solid meals.

The sealing industry claims that it is killing more seals because of an increased demand for fur. Although the U.S. banned the sale of seal fur in 1972, anyone wearing the fur of minks, rabbits, foxes, or any other kind of animal is responsible for creating a demand for fur, which pushes Canadian hunters to club more seals each year. Then in 2009, the European Union voted to end the sale of seal products, and the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senate Resolution 84, calling for an immediate end to the annual seal slaughter.

Please tell everyone you know about Canada's cruel slaughter of baby seals and urge them to contact the Canadian government to ask for an immediate end to this cruel slaughter.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/canadian-seal-slaughter.aspx

January 17, 2011

Bears

For nearly two centuries, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has waged a war on black bears, subsidizing the slaughter of hundreds of these animals in Canada and using their pelts to make headpieces for The Queen's Guards. Read More

Bears are cruelly killed for their hides; they are either shot during hunts or ensnared, sometimes for days, in painful traps. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources reports that during hunts, as many as one bear in seven is not killed immediately after being shot, and some escape wounded, often dying later from blood loss, gangrene, or starvation.

Mother bears who are killed leave behind orphaned cubs who are completely dependent on them for food during their first 17 months. When left alone in the wilderness, the cubs often cannot survive. In many areas, there are few restrictions against shooting mother bears with nursing cubs, leading to the destruction of entire families.

It is common for bears to be hunted at bait sites. Food is left regularly for hungry bears so that they will become accustomed to going to the same spot to find food. Hunters then hide in tree stands and shoot at the bears who come looking for their regular meal.

Although the MoD has acknowledged that it is time for a change, it has delayed taking any action. It is inexcusable that the same army which is capable of building some of the most sophisticated equipment and machinery in the world claims it is unable to find a synthetic replacement for bearskins after almost three decades of "searching" and despite the wide availability of luxurious synthetic materials. Meanwhile, it is money from buyers such as the British Army that keeps hunters making profits from killing these animals. Bears aren't crops to be "harvested"; they are individuals who live in families and feel pain and terror when shot.

Seal slaughter :

http://canadasshame.com/

January 15, 2011

Why Is Canada Killing Seals?
Most people would agree that there is something terribly wrong with shooting and smashing in the skulls of baby seals, yet despite international outrage, the Canadian government allows sealers to beat and skin hundreds of thousands of these gentle creatures every year. So why is Canada killing seals?

The seal slaughter exists because of the overall demand for fur. During Canada's annual war on seals, sealers routinely hook live seals in the eye, cheek, or mouth to avoid damaging the fur, then they drag the seals across the ice. Many of these gentle creatures may not even have eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim before they are slaughtered for their skin.

In 2009, the European Union voted to end the sale of seal products, and the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senate Resolution 84, calling for an immediate end to the annual seal slaughter. It's time for Canada to wake up! And with the help of caring people like you, we can put an end to the slaughter once and for all.

http://canadasshame.com/Why.aspx

January 19, 2011

Please Boycott the stores selling real rabbit fur trimmed clothing listed below.
The shops below are selling real rabbit fur trimmed clothing, as well as other fur items. Please write polite letters, voicing your opposition to the fur trade, and if you live locally, please boycott the shop. There are demos happening at these shops so if you are in the Manchester area, please get in touch to get involved. There has been a lot of support from neighbouring shops to the protesters.


FIZZ,The Ultimate Clothing Company,
25 Wellington St
Ashton Under Lyne
01613431298

FIZZ,The Ultimate Clothing Company,
35-37 Clarendon Place
Hyde
SK14 1LU
O1613681930


FIZZ,The Ultimate Clothing Company,
31a, Market St
Shaw
Oldham OL2 8NR



The following shops are owned by the same family and need a polite word. They remove fur when asked to do so, but protesters have been informed they put it back as soon as the protesters have left and have bragged about it to customers.


AMOUR Paris
27 Warrington St
Ashton-Under-Lyne
OL6 6AZ
01613435666
https://www.facebook.com/l/48650carnnAHO79W8mPuDbkNmiw;www.amourparis.co.uk
info@amourparis.co.uk


SILKS
21-23 Wood St
Ashton-Under-Lyne
OL6 7NN O1613431866

January 22, 2011

Become a PETA member and save animals' skins

A baby harp seal lies sleepily on the ice after a long swim in Canada's frigid coastal waters. Just 8 weeks old, she is too young to understand the danger as a sealer approaches, club in hand. Her bright black eyes are questioning as the sealer swings his heavy club down on top of her head, crushing her skull. Stunned but alive, she feels incredible pain as the skin is torn from her body. Bloody and broken, she is left to die slowly in agony.

Animals from Canada to China to Australia to the U.S. are being exploited and killed for their skin. Will you help us stop the suffering of these and other animals by becoming a PETA member right now?

PETA's 2011 New Member Drive is in full swing, and thousands of compassionate individuals just like you are committing to our fight to save animals. Won't you join them as PETA's newest member?

The annual slaughter of Canada's harp seals is the largest massacre of marine mammals on Earth. Each year, tens of thousands of gentle harp seals are shot or bludgeoned to death. Most of them are slaughtered before they are 3 months old, and many are killed in front of other terrified seals.

Similarly gruesome scenes take place everywhere animals are slaughtered for their skin. On Chinese fur farms, dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals are ripped from their filthy, cramped cages and beaten with pipes and fists before being skinned alive.These hellish farms make up the largest source of fur imported into the U.S.

In Australia, lambs are pinned into metal braces as skin and flesh is cut from their backsides with gardening shears, leaving bloody, open wounds that often become infested with maggots. Their wool is sold all around the world, and in their final days, they are sent to poorly regulated slaughterhouses in the Middle East and Africa.

We cannot allow these animals to continue to suffer so terribly and die so badly for people's vanity. Please become a PETA member today and support PETA's lifesaving work for all animals. Your PETA membership includes a complimentary subscription to our lively quarterly magazine, Animal Times, as well as other member-exclusive benefits, the most important being the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to save animals through your gift.

Through the dedication of PETA's more than 2 million members and supporters, people like you, we are winning the fight against fur. The international market for seal fur is disappearing, and polls show that a majority of Canadians want this abomination to end. PETA has mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to speak out against the horrors of the Chinese fur trade. The Chinese government has responded to this growing international pressure by introducing draft legislation for the country's first-ever animal protection law.

Through our groundbreaking undercover investigations and eye-opening campaigns, we've convinced a growing number of designers and retailers not to use or sell fur—and have persuaded millions of consumers not to buy it. And at the very end of the year, President Obama signed the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, which ensures that people will no longer be sold "faux fur" that actually came from a living, feeling animal.

Make no mistake about it—this cruel industry is dying. In 2011, we can move closer to the day when no animal is caged and killed for "fashion." But we can't keep up the fight without your support. Please don't wait—become a PETA member for 2011 online right now.

For all the animals whose skins we can save this year, thank you for your continued partnership and generous support.

Kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

P.S. PETA is the largest and most effective animal rights organization in the world. It is also the best—and often only—hope for animals who are threatened by the fur and exotic-skins industries. But we cannot accomplish anything for animals without your help. Please become a member today.

We need you! Right now, millions of individual animals are being cruelly confined and slaughtered on factory farms; poisoned, maimed, and blinded in laboratories; skinned alive for their fur; and neglected and abandoned by their owners. PETA does everything that it can to expose, confront, and stop this abuse … but we can't do it without the financial support of PETA members.

Please become a PETA member right now by making the most generous donation that you can afford—and help us save more animals from suffering and abuse.


https://secure.peta.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5103&5103.donation=form1&set.custom.Campaign_Code=C11CECBLBSH&autologin=true

December 18, 2011

Victory! Aussie Designer Camilla Franks Drops Fur
Posted at 9:09 AMPermalinkComments ()
After an eye-catching protest at her flagship store, half a dozen leafleting events, and thousands of e-mails from compassionate people like you, we’re happy to announce that Camilla Franks now joins the ranks for kind designers like Gail Elliott, Ginger & Smart, One Teaspoon, Alannah Hill, Fleur Wood, High Tea, Justin Davis, Nicola Finetti, and Joveeba in pledging never to use real fur again.

Through undercover video, fur farms were discovered in China—where there are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms —on which animals are bludgeoned and beaten until they can be skinned alive. Workers on these farms often stomp on the necks of terrified animals after they are kept in cramped, unsanitary cages for their entire lives.

Want to do your part to help animals? Join our Activist Network now to help change minds and save animals’ lives.

Millions of animals suffer horrific treatment and slaughter in the fur industry. Those raised on fur farms spend their lives in cramped and filthy cages. Those trapped in the wild often languish for days as a steel jaw trap tears the skin from their bones. Some even chew off their own limbs in an attempt to escape. Much fur comes from China, where animals are skinned alive. We are confident that fur sales will fall as more people learn the truth, but we need your help .

Here are some more ways to make a difference :

Never buy real fur – go fake for the animals' sake! Sign up to our E-news and Activist Network so we can keep you routinely informed of the latest news from PETA and in animal rights. Donate online to help stop the suffering of animals for their skins. Your donation will also support our many other campaigns to end animal abuse.
Thanks again for your interest in PETA and for everything that you do to help animals. Visit our website for more information on the fur industry and ways you can help.

The True Cost of Fur : Is It Worth It ?

Dying to get your very own luxury fur coat? Well, so are minks . A year-and-a-half long investigation of fur farms in Sweden by the Animal Rights Alliance has revealed shocking footage of minks who suffer from open wounds and painful infections. The animals are stuffed in filthy wire cages, causing them severe psychological distress and leading many minks to resort to self-mutilation or cannibalism while they fearfully wait to be skinned. Please speak up for the countless animals who suffer and die every year at the hands of the fur industry . Pledge to be fur-free and urge your friends and family to join you today

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