PETIGREE MAGAZINE Issue 5 | Page 19

to death in China. These furs are purposely mislabelled hence customers in the US are not even aware of the truth. A Swiss Animals Protection investigator concluded that Chinese fur farm conditions mock the basic standards of animal welfare. However it should be noted that all fur farms globally function in a similar appalling manner. Statistics Some 50 million fur-farmed animals are murdered each year and over a billion rabbits are killed. Notable countries dealing ranch raised mink and fox skins are Denmark (14 million,) China (12 million), Holland (4.8 million,) Poland (4.3 million,) USA (3.4 million) and Finland (2 million.) Faith in Humanity While labels such as Calvin Klein use fur, designers Todd Oldham and Stella McCartney use only synthetic material, proving the existence of cruelty-free glamour. Organisations like PETA are constantly collaborating with designers and retailers to promote faux furs and animal friendly fabrics. This year the European Union Court of Justice banned commercial sale of seal products despite protests by traders; boosting hope for emergence global laws that will abolish such activities. We hope that in future people will remember the wise words of Marianna Moore before purchasing a fur apparel: “If we can’t be cordial to the creature’s fleece, I think that we deserve to freeze.”