Thinking of buying a Fur coat this Year? Then read this...

Britain is a nation of animal-lovers who don't want to see animals suffer needlessly- which is why millions of people every day give cruelty the cold shoulder by not buying fur, and we'd like to see even more people to know why it should be avoided.



The fur trade is a violent, bloody industry motivated purely by vanity. Every Year millions of animals are kept in appalling conditions in tiny, barren wire cages on fur farms or have had their legs crushed by traps set in the wild. Some mothers desperate to get back to their young end up chewing off their own leg. Our message is simple. Animals are not ours to wear.



The Fur Trade

* Every Year the fur industry traps, drowns, clubs, gasses, electrocutes and skins alive millions of animals - all in the name of greed and vanity.

* Day in, day out, life for animals on fur farms is hell. They spend their entire lives imprisoned in small bare mesh cages. Their natural instincts to roam are cruelly stiffled. The stress and deprivation caused by these conditions often leads to the animals performing unnatural repetitive behaviour and can lead to self mutilation
* In the wild, animals are caught in bone-crushing leg hold traps. Animals may suffer for days, slowly dying of hunger, thirst, disease, blood loss and predation. Trappers who find still-conscious victims in their traps kill the animals by beating, bludgeoning and/or drowning them

* Distressing footage from fur markets in China - Now the Worlds biggest fur producer - shows Cats, Dogs, Racoons, Foxes, Rabbits are stuffed into tiny cages, then skinned alive. Much of the fur now sold around the World, comes from China, where there is not a single law to protect animals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSSMBhK_F2k&feature=fvw

I am happy to bare my skin if it means an animal gets to keep theirs! Unfortunately we live in a sensationalist society and it can be difficult to get headlines to high light things going on in the World.



Most people would be horrified to know that every Year in China 2 million Dogs and Cats are killed for their fur - most of this is passed off as other animals and sold on as Mink, Rabbit fur etc



Questions



Its freezing outside, some people would argue that you need fur to keep you warm?

This is one of the most ludicrous arguments for wearing fur. When mountaineers climb Everest they don't do it in a fur coat! There are countless modern man made fibres, which are warmer, lighter and more weather proof than fur. With all of the chic, cruelty-free options available, there's no reason to wear an animal skin to keep you warm!



Fur is 'natural' and environmentally friendly?

Toxic chemicals are used to preserve and process the skins, and the waste from processing plants and fur farms poison rivers and streams. It also take 20 times more energy to process a coat made from animal fur as it does from a fake fur. And fur coats are NOT biodegradable - they contain chemicals to stop them rotting.



Isn't it a matter of choice?

Its the 21st Century, people can be cruel or kind . With so many fashionable alternatives to leather and fur, there is no excuse for wearing animal skins



What about vintage fur?

Its doesn't matter if an animal died yesterday for a fur or 50 Years ago, its all a result of cruelty.

When you wear a vintage fur, people see you in the street it sends out a message that wearing fur is acceptable! It desensitises people to seeing it and sends out a message that fur it fashionable and ok to wear. People do not know when they walk past you in the street if you are wearing a fur coat which is vintage or bought recently.



Is Fur back?

We've been hearing cries of "Fur is back" by the fur industry's PR machine every Year as people get paid off to let it be worn on the catwalk, but public opinion shows that the majority of the people in this Country are opposed to fur. The top fashions stores reflect this with everyone from Harvey Nichols to Selfridges, to Topshop who have fur-free policies.



The fashion industry and fur

There is nothing glamourous about killing animals for their fur. The fur trade is a violent, bloody industry. trapping, beating, drowning and ripping an animals' skin from their backs for vanity is absolutely indefensible. Animal cruelty is never in fashion.



The true talented visionaries , like Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Bouwer are able to design beautiful, fashionable and popular clothing without getting blood on their hands. They are able to attract a young hip crowd without cruelty.



Why is fur worse than eating meat?

We have publicised many ways to help animals, and forgoing fur is one of the easiest! Those who cite other cruelties in the World as an excuse to wear fur are simply copping out. The Fur industry is particularly horrific.

We want people to avoid real fur this Winter and wrap up warm in something that isn't the result of unimaginable cruelty. We want an end to the fur industry for good.

We will continue to campaign and to publicly draw attention to this issue in new and creative ways until people no longer wear fur and stores stop stocking it!



What people can do to help

The best and easiest thing people can do to help animals is not to wear them. Please don't buy fur!! And also to inform friends and family of what goes on.

To learn more visit www.PETA.org.uk