The Cruelty of Fur Trim

in Fur as Fashion

The next time you walk down a city street on a cold winter day, take a close look at what people are wearing. Chances are you’ll find fur trim on everything from jacket collars and cuffs to sweaters and vests — even handbags and belts. The fur industry is spending big to weave what it calls “the new American fabric” into any item it can convince designers to sell.
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But fur is no mere “fabric.” Every piece of fur is the result of horrific cruelty. Animals trapped for their fur can suffer for hours or days in body-gripping traps, chewing through their own feet in a desperate attempt to escape. Millions of wild animals are trapped and killed each year in the United States by commercial and recreational trappers alone. On fur farms, millions more live in tiny, barren cages where they may literally go insane before they are gassed, clubbed, or anally electrocuted. Animals commonly killed for the fur trim trade include fox, coyote, bobcat, raccoon, muskrat, marten, and rabbit.

Unsuspecting Consumers

Public ignorance about the cruelty of fur production has led to a staggering growth in the fur trim trade. Analysts predict that the number of animal pelts used for trim will soon outnumber those used in the production of full-length coats. Fur trim does not carry the same social stigma as coats, perhaps because many people incorrectly assume that trim is an industry byproduct, consisting of unusable scraps that would otherwise be thrown away. According to producers, however, 90 percent of foxes raised on farms are killed for the fur trim market.

In addition, many people do not realize that the trim found on relatively inexpensive cloth and leather garments is real fur — in part because of a loophole in the law. In 2000, after an international investigation into the widespread slaughter of dogs and cats for the fur trade, primarily in Asia, the U.S. Congress passed the Dog and Cat Protection Act. DNA testing had revealed the presence of dog and cat fur in products ranging from trim on jackets to animal-shaped trinkets. This bill banned the importation of products containing dog or cat fur, but left in place a loophole in existing law regarding labeling requirements.

Today, fur items valued at over $150 must be labeled as real and identify the species of origin; fur trim on a collar or purse valued at less than $150, however, requires no label. As a result, many consumers mistakenly believe that the furry ruff donning their new denim jacket is synthetic. Furthermore, because the Dog and Cat Protection Act does not require testing of products nor provide for enforcement, advocates believe it is likely that products containing dog and cat fur still make their way into the U.S. marketplace and the hands of unsuspecting shoppers.

“Democratizing” Fur

Aiming to appeal to a younger, “hipper” consumer, the fur industry has embarked on a well-funded campaign to popularize fur trim through magazine ads, billboards, cinema commercials, and TV ads. The aim of its $1-million “Fur Works For Everyone” PR effort was to increase fur wearing by women and men 25-35 years old. In a 2002 Fur World magazine article, Fur Council of Canada Executive Vice President Alan Herscovici stated, “Trendy styles and affordability are the key to market expansion, and that is our main objective.”

A national survey revealed that women and men ages 25-35 know little about trapping. The survey, conducted by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies as part of an outreach program aimed at increasing public acceptance of trapping, concluded that the American populace is highly malleable and is “free to project on to trapping whatever image first comes to mind.”

Recognizing the critical need to increase public knowledge, Born Free USA joined the international Fur Free Alliance (www.furfreealliance.com), a coalition of humane and conservation organizations representing tens of millions of people worldwide. The mission of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA) is “to bring an end to the killing and exploitation of all animals for their fur by raising awareness about the cruelty and negative environmental impacts associated with the global fur trade through appropriate legal and non-violent means.”

Learn More about Trapping and the Fur Trade

You can learn more about trapping and the fur trade with these resources by Born Free USA:

  • Our undercover “Victims of Vanity” investigations, which show cruel, and often illegal, trapping practices.
  • Our Trapping Report, which analyzes state trapping laws across the U.S., and assigns a letter grade to each state based on each state’s trapping regulations.
  • Our Fur for the Animals campaign, which repurposes fur clothing items to help comfort injured and abandoned wildlife.
  • Our Trapping Victims Fund, which provides funds for medical care for pets who are injured by traps.

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