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Last weekend, this almost-full-time vegetarian found her spontaneous self in Aspen, trying on fur coats - a local wardrobe staple. I did it specifically to report here how terrible it was and gross it felt. Except that it didn't - it felt criminally soft and ultra glamourous. Sick, I know.
But for all the sensory pleasure, I can't imagine purchasing ($$$$!!!) such an item while I'm also eschewing factory meat and seeking out products with "No Animal Testing" on the label. Sure, humans kill animals for all kinds of reasons - food, sport, accidents, science and product testing, clothing - but somehow, wearing a pelt is pure flaunt. Unless you are Eustace Conway, it's no longer about warmth and survival, it's straight up ego-driven body decor.
I asked the store's proprietor if the furs were crafted locally, hoping at least there might be an economic plus here. "No, none of them are," he said, "They mostly come from Canada." So much for that idea.
"What's more, in my hometown, the fur industry built Canada – for better or worse, depending whether you were a beaver, an aboriginal or the Hudson's Bay Company – and employed thousands. There was even 'the fur district,' with lofty old factory buildings filled with giant sewing machines. In the streets below, men would scurry with racks loaded with skins or finished coats. That area is dead now and … most of the companies are gone.
But still, according to the Fur Institute of Canada, the industry contributes $800 million to our GDP and employs 60,000 trappers (including 25,000 aboriginals), with another 5,000 in farming, manufacturing and sales. That's about half what it used to be …"
--Antonia Zerbisias, Living Columnist, Toronto Star
But the biggest shocker came when I asked the fur store owner if he still sold chinchilla, which is basically a chubby squirrel that hails from South America. "Sure," he said, "I just sold a chinchilla throw for $35,000."
This broke my heart in so many places, I could only gape at him. Not-so-fun fact: A single, full-length coat made from chinchilla fur may require as many as 150 pelts. This has led to the extinction of one chinchilla species, and now threatens the other two. (Though it is illegal to hunt wild chinchillas, illegal hunting continues.) Meanwhile, domestic chinchillas are being bred for their pelts only. And why? So, somebody has something nice to 'throw' on the couch.
After watching an horrific video presentation (hosted by Eva Mendes) on the PETA site, I learned that fur farming is the only sector of animal agriculture that is unregulated by the federal government. This made my blood run cold even more than watching an animal (I couldn't even tell what it was) blink into the camera after it had had its coat ripped off its body. No regulation means no regard for the animal whatsoever.
Born Free USA released a report last month, Cruelty Uncaged: A Review of Fur Farming in North America, that reviews the scientific literature, statistics and legislative oversight (what little there is) of otherwise wild animals raised for their fur in the U.S. and Canada, especially foxes, minks, lynx and bobcats. Evidently, Wisconsin has the most unregulated fur farms in the nation - more than 100, and that's an estimated guess. As the report states:
"Wisconsin is also one of a handful of states with government regulatory agencies that are apparently unaware of the lack of regulation of this industry in their state, despite the potential impacts on other agriculture and other wildlife. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources both erroneously implicate the other as having regulatory oversight of fur farms."
In other words, nobody's in charge.
Naturally, PETA has aggressively lambasted any public figure who wears fur, including actresses, models and fashion designers who include fur in their collections. (Their most recent 'Worst Dressed List' included Kate Moss, Elizabeth Hurley and Rihanna.) But their latest tactic has them in trouble with White House. PETA's newest ad - featured in DC's Metro stations, magazines and the PETA site - shows Carrie Underwood, Michelle Obama, Oprah and Tyra Banks, with the header: "Fur Free and Fabulous!"
The White House insists that PETA is using the First Lady's image without permission. Meanwhile, PETA claims that since Michelle has already publicly stated
