Worldwide, over 75 million animals are killed each year for their fur. Despite what many people think, the majority of these animals are killed for fur trim, not full-length fur coats. In Canada, over 3.3 million animals are killed for their fur each year, either by trapping or on fur farms.
More than 730, 000 animals are trapped each year. Some of these animals include: badgers, bears, beavers, cougars, coyotes, ermines, fishers, foxes, lynx, martens, minks, muskrats, otters, rabbits, raccoons, seals, skunks, squirrels, bobcats, wolves and wolverines. The fur industry often states that animals are ‘harvested’ because they are surplus, weak or diseased, but the reality is that they are targeted because they happen to be one of the 20 species in Canada (out of 140,000) that have thick fur coats.
80% 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 for mink and fox, two non-domesticated species of animals who still have all their wild instincts in tact. They spend their short, miserable lives trapped in tiny wire cages stacked together in long sheds, where they eat, sleep, urinate and defecate. In order to avoid damaging the fur, animals are killed by gassing, neck-braking, or anal electrocution. There are currently no laws regulating the keeping, handling or killing of cage-raised fur-bearing animals in Canada. Regulations are entirely voluntary.
But luckily things are changing. Maclean’s magazine noted in a 2009 article that “there’s never been a better time to be a Canadian mink”, referring to the attitude of the average Canadian, whose ongoing refusal to wear or support fur is growing. The fur industry has not been able to economically ignore this refusal, with pelt production falling by 62% by 1990 (thanks to effective anti-fur campaign in the 70s and 80s). Their only real response was to rebrand, reinvent, and recreate the story of fur. The result are a series of ‘myths’, or as we like to describe them, ‘traps’. We say ‘traps’ because in addition to literally trapping animals, the fur industry metaphorically traps the public into believing the myths it has worked so hard, and spent so much money, to create. What follows is an overview of these traps, as well as ways we can free ourselves and, ultimately, the animals.
The Infographic (a visual overview of the fur trade in Canada)
The Cruelty Trap
The Enviro Trap
The Indigenous Trap
The Money Trap
The Dog and Cat Fur Trap
The Necessity vs. Trendy Trap
What YOU Can Do