By Zahra Reza
You see it everywhere, from the shoulders of
celebrities to the rich ‘Ahjummas’ in Korean
dramas. Fur has always been a symbol of the
elite classes. But is this display of wealth more
significant than the lives of thousands of
innocent creatures killed every year?
How are they captured?
Leg-Hold Traps
This is the most common trap used by top fur
producers. Its steel-like jaws smash the animal’s
leg, leaving the victim vulnerable to harsh
weather, predatory threats, lack of food and
water for several hours, if not days. The captor
then puts an end to their life. All of this is done
to guarantee the well being of their hide.
Some states of USA and almost 90 countries
condemn the use of such traps. The American
Veterinary Medical Association even labelled
this method as ‘inhumane’.
Conibear Traps
Frank Conibear came up with this mechanism
that immediately crushes the victim’s neck with
a pressure of 90 pounds per square inch. How-
ever, this trap instantly kills only some of them
and the others are subject to excruciating pain
for much longer. The British Columbia Research
Council disapproved the claim as research
showed that almost 90 per cent of the animals
struggled for a full three minutes.
Drowning Sets
This trap adds additional weight to the semi
aquatic animal through a leg-hold trap, thus
causing them to drown. Beavers endure the
trauma for 15 minutes, muskrats for five minutes
and minks for four minutes. In an attempt to
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survive, some animals amputate a limb to swim
away.
Horrendous Living Conditions
Wild animals should not be kept in captivity.
Minks and foxes, in particular, are kept in tiny
cages that are filthy and are exposed to severe
weather conditions. Many animals develop
psychological disorders such as cannibalism,
stress, self-inflicting damage and incurable
diseases such as Aleutian Disease. Problems
in their feet are quite common since they are
forced to stand on wires for endless periods of
time. Many even develop genetic disorders af-
ter being crossbred with mutated breeds. Their
lives end with electrocution, poison gas or neck
crushing.
Over 67,000 seal pups are clubbed and skinned
alive for their fur and vitamin supplements.
Shocking Fact!
An eye-opening
fact is that these
animals are skinned
alive in order to
protect the pelt.
Their hearts are
reportedly beat-
ing for at least 10
minutes after the
ordeal!
To top it all, cats
and dogs are
hanged, strangled,
clubbed and bled