Fur - The truth about the fur industry and its animals

Why do we buy products with fur - and how can we save fur animals? Questions upon questions. Hats, coats and scarves lined with the fur of other creatures - if you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer, you might think. I used to have a jacket with fur myself - I just didn't know how much suffering was behind it. With this knowledge came the change. I find it hard to imagine that anyone would prefer clothes or other products with fur if they were aware of the background to the fur industry.

In this article, I would like to share exactly that with you and also discuss the question of whether fur products are still appropriate and useful in 2020. Let's go!

1. Definition
2. Furry animals
3. Statistics
4. Pros & Cons
   • Advantages
   • Disadvantages
5. Save fur animals
6. Closing words

What is fur anyway?

Fur is the stripped skin of animals, usually with densely packed hairs, which is usually made into clothing, trimmings or accessories. Some animals are specifically hunted, caught and bred for their production, others are considered pests. Cases are also often a by-product - for example in the meat-producing industry. Factory farming. Furs and fur goods were among the earliest trade goods - until the 17th century, they were only allowed to be worn by certain groups of people and classes in Europe.₁

The European Union regulates the requirements for the keeping and breeding of fur animals - there is no general ban on the fur trade. A distinction is made, for example, between pet fur, farm animal fur and wild animal fur. The trade in pet fur, such as that of cats or dogs, is prohibited in the EU. However, livestock and wild animal fur is generally a legal and very popular trade item. Some countries, such as Austria, Norway and the Netherlands, have therefore extended the European regulations and banned fur farms at national level. In Germany, however, fur farms are still permitted provided that the husbandry requirements are met.

Which animals are killed for fur?

So the definition is clear. But which animals are actually tortured or killed for fur? Or to put it another way: which animals have to lose their lives so that we can obtain fur? Here are some examples:

But the list is almost endless. Have a look at my article about Documentaries about factory farming. One recommendation from this is the Dominion film, which will also give you deeper insights into the fur industry.

Statistics on fur animals and the fur industry

So that we can better imagine the extent of the fur trade and get a specific motivation to change something about it, here's a handful more Facts and figures of the fur industry for you:

• Up to 229 animals have to die for one fur coat (100 cm long = 80 squirrels, 64 chinchillas, 20-28 minks, 38 rabbits, 8-10 foxes and 9 lynxes).
• 12,700,000 foxes were processed into fur worldwide in 2017. In the same period, 63,100,000 minks were also killed for fur products.
• 46.9 percent of fur from the German fur industry comes from breeding and farming. 37.6 percent is a product of the meat industry and 15.3 percent comes from pest control. Only 0.2 percent of furs can be traced back to hunting.
• In 2016, Germany imported fur clothing worth 17,764,447 US dollars from China and raw fur skins worth 7,800,620 US dollars from Russia.₃ In these countries, there are no or only very weak regulations for the keeping and killing of fur animals.
• 65 million fur animals die every year for the fur industry.₄

Advantages and disadvantages of fur

I promised that I would discuss whether fur products are still in keeping with the times. In this paragraph, I would therefore like to present the advantages and disadvantages of fur

Notice: Of course, I find it difficult to find any advantages at all for ethical reasons. Nevertheless, I try to do so in order to get a fair basis for my final opinion.

Advantages

• Optics: Yes, fur on the hood already looks chic and makes something.
• Heat: In the past, fur was mainly worn for its warming properties. Today, however, this is no longer absolutely necessary.
• Waste product: If fur is a waste product from the meat industry, you might approve of it. Unfortunately, however, most fur is not a waste product.
• Longevity: Fur products can be passed on and, with good care, can be reused forever. So nobody would need two or three fur coats.

Disadvantages

• Breeding only for fur: Fur animals are tortured in cramped cages and killed well before their natural life expectancy so that we humans can adorn ourselves with their fur.
• Weight gain: Fur animals are often bred to weigh twice as much as their wild counterparts and collapse under the strain.
• Futility: There are so many other organic materials available to us today for our garments. Take a look at the article about sustainable fashion.
• Imports: There are defined requirements for fur farms in Germany - however, fur products are not banned here and in most cases are imported from abroad. For example from China or Russia, where there are more lenient or even no regulations for the keeping and killing of fur animals.

Tip: In my opinion, wearing fur is no longer in keeping with the times. In the article about Things that are superfluous todayyou will get to know other objects and behaviors that no longer make sense.

How you can save fur animals

Here I would like to give you a detailed list of how you can fight the outdated fur industry on a daily basis and save the lives of fur animals:

• Refrain from buying and wearing fur: The problem with fur is relatively easy to solve by not buying and wearing fur products. Don't wear heirlooms with fur either, so that you don't walk around like a walking advertisement for fur products.
• Supported petitions and organizations: Support and start online petitions against the fur industry. Lists of signatures have already made it possible to eliminate many abuses. The issue of fur in particular can get an incredible number of people involved. Also animal welfare organizations can of course always use support.
• Share your knowledge: Keep yourself informed and tell your family and friends about these problems when appropriate. This will raise awareness of the origin of animal fur in our society.
• Distinguish real and artificial fur: If you still want to buy fur products, then prefer fake fur. You can recognize real fur, for example, by the undercoat at the bottom of the hairline, where the hair adheres to real leather. You can find more tips at Distinguish real fur and artificial fur.

Do you have any other ideas to put an end to the fur industry? Then feel free to write me a comment!

Fur is no longer in keeping with the times!

At the latest after this short but very informative documentary, you are surely also of the opinion that we humans should not wear fur or the body parts of animals as jewelry, right? Everyone knows that fur is an animal product. However, we must realize that behind every fur product there is at least one, if not hundreds of tortured and killed animals. Not a single animal is kept in a species-appropriate manner - and not a single animal dies painlessly.

I hope that this article has opened your eyes to the background of the fur industry. Feel free to leave me a comment with your thoughts and questions.

Stay animal-friendly,

PS.: Leather is also not a pure by-product of the meat industry. In the article Is leather sustainable? you can find out more about this. You can also take a look at my article about the best vegan YouTuber an.

References:
₁ Wikimedia Foundation Inc: Fur, available at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelz. [20.05.2020].

₂ Vegan is unhealthy: Fur is fashion!, YouTube, 09.01.2018, Web, 18.05.2020 at 15:16, in: https://youtu.be/Q6X4A7hUpy8.

₃ L. Malberger, D. Lüdemann (2018): Germany, land of fur collars (as at: 02.03.2018), available at https://t1p.de/ht8k. [20.05.2020].

₄ F. Schreckenbach: Why fur is back or has never been gone: The Fur World in Numbers (Infographic, 2013), available at https://t1p.de/6u50. [20.05.2020].