What many people don’t realise is that most of the fur that gets exported to the West comes from China. Now this is where the problem lies:

1.) China has no animal welfare laws whatsoever.
2.) Among animals such as foxes, raccoons and mink, they also skin dogs and cats alive. Yes, you heard me right. They skin them alive! You may think it’s an urban legend, but it is completely true. Just Google ‘chinese fur trade’ and you’ll see for yourself.
3.) The dog and cat fur is marketed to the West as faux fur/rabbit fur/fur with exotic sounding names.
You might be wearing a coat that contains dog fur and not even be aware of it.
4.) The barbaric Chinese fur industry is going strong as we speak and it won’t stop until people STOP BUYING FUR.
6.) China skins up to 2 million dogs and cats every year.
7.)China is the biggest exporter of fur globally.

And if you still don’t believe me, just watch this disgusting footage:

(Please copy and paste into your browser.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueBWi8BL0PQ

And another thing, the above video is not an isolated case. This sickening stuff is happening on a daily basis.

And for anyone that says these are hoaxes: Come out from underneath the rock you’ve been living and OPEN YOUR EYES! I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
There is no room for this barbaric trade in the 21st century and the same goes for ignorant people!
And if you’re still stubborn: THE EU HAS VOTED TO BAN THE CAT AND DOG FUR TRADE IN 2009. Now why would they do that if all this is untrue propaganda?

I for one cannot trust the anti-abuse lobby much anymore. Shame, seeing as I agree with the majority of their causes, especially with regards to foie gras and factory farming.

But surely if it’s done humanely there’s nothing worse about fur than leather. Or even meat?

Ultimately it’s an issue of personal freedom to purchase a legal product. The anti lobby must respect this freedom and not terrorise people for making a choice.

Anti smoking groups don’t feel the need to letterbomb smokers, or hold violent protests outside every shop that stocks cigarettes, for example. There’s clearly an agenda beyond animal welfare for many of these activists. For many, it’s personal - about making a statement against an individual, or even a class-based protest against anyone extravagant enough to spend money on furs.

And i agree with dan, people shouldnt have to be afraid of over-reaction to an item of clothing. And heather mills is the lowest of the low. Don’t even start me on that scumbag. I’d be ranting all day!

That said however, it is proving very hard to sell fur in the UK any more because of the stigma wrongly attached to it. My grandmother has a few very nice mink coats but cannot sell them to ny potential wearers because people over-react so much when one is cited wearing fur. My word, imagine if she bumped into Heather Mills in the street.

You’re paranoid. Most people at York wouldn’t say “boo” to a goose. I think you’re also overstimating the extent to which people care about what you wear! I wouldn’t give a second glance to someone wearing fur; it’s hardly cutting edge.

Next winter, should it be cold enough, I fully intend to lord around campus in my floor-length coat of squirrel. It is inherited- and from the days before every home in the U.K. had central heating- so I can hardly be held responsible for (JA:) “ripping the/skin off (animals’) backs”. But even if it had been made to order for me, it is still nobody else’s business what I choose to wear.

Most furs do NOT come from wild sources such as trapping. The majority of furs come from farming. Nations such as Canada, America, and those in Scandinavia have very strict standards regarding animal welfare and these nations provide the vast majority of fur that are used to manufacture the coats (usually the coats are manufactured in China with the fur coming from the North America and Scandinavia, and then re-imported back to North America and Europe for sale). The notion that animals are somehow “skinned alive” is nothing short of absolutely laughable and glaringly shows how ignorant and gullible people can be. They proclaim it as if they have actually been to a farm and seen it first hand! Do you honestly believe that everything you see on the Internet is true? Try skinning a mink alive, and just be sure to have an orthopedic surgeon available so he can assemble the pieces together and reattach your hand to your arm. Abused or neglected animals do not produce quality fur.

As far as the treatment of individuals such as Anna Wintour by these zealot animal rights groups, do you also sanction the same treatment of preaching morality via harassment and intimidation to homosexuals too? Dan Matthews of PeTA is gay. What would you and others say if an anti-gay group used the same tactics of preaching morality by force and intimidation to Dan Matthews and other gays? How is one hateful and the other so-called free speech?

If you don’t want to wear fur, fine, make your own choice. However, it is just that, your choice, so let others decide freely for themselves.

It’s no surprise that those who boldly preach their morality to others lack the courage to live their own lives free from the fear of what others think.