More than 75% of the animals killed for their fur in Canada come from fur farms. According to Statistics Canada, this is just over 2.5 million animals each year. The vast majority of fur farms in Canada are mink and fox, two species of animals which are non-domesticated and with all their wild instincts in tact.
Fur farming, like any other form of factory farming, is hell on earth for animals.
Mink have a natural territory of up to 2500 acres; foxes have a natural territory of 1000-5000 acres. Despite this, they spend their short, miserable lives trapped in tiny wire cages stacked together in long sheds, where they eat, sleep, urinate and defecate. Their movement is so severely restricted that they are unable to run, hunt, hide, and socialize. Studies have shown that because mink are semi-aquatic, they suffer greatly when denied access to water.
Some of the common physical consequences of these unnatural living conditions include frostbite, deformed limbs, infectious diseases, and ulcers. Sadly, fur farmed animals routinely develop psychological conditions as well, including social deprivation, learned helplessness, and continuous fear, with up to 85% developing behavioural abnormalities like repetitive pacing, circling, head-bobbing and self mutilation. Inbreeding for specific colour traits have also led to severe genetic abnormalities including deafness, “screw-neck”, and compromised immune systems.
The fur industry routinely claims that it is in the best interest of the farmers to treat their animals humanely, as it is integral to the “quality” of the fur. But “high quality” fur products do not say anything about the animal’s health or wellbeing– only that the animal shed their dirty, matted infant fur just before being killed. While fur farmed animals are raised in squalid conditions, most are killed for their first winter coat, at about seven months of age. In order to avoid damaging the fur, animals are killed by gassing, neck-braking, or anal electrocution.
The Fur Institute of Canada explains that “Canadian fur farmers also operate under provincial and territorial legislation and Codes of Practice covering animal welfare. The Recommended Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals include mink and fox, and were developed by Agriculture Canada in collaboration with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies”.
Don’t let the rhetoric fool you. There are no laws regulating the keeping, handling or killing of cage-raised fur-bearing animals in Canada. All regulations are entirely voluntary.
Luckily, some countries are making their stance on fur farming clear. Fur farming is entirely banned in the UK and Austria.