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The Fur Trade Painful Information You Need to Know Over the last few years, China has surpassed both Canada and the United States in becoming the biggest fur exporter in the world. In fact, the majority of fur farms in China were established in the last ten years. A growing number of fur wholesalers, companies carrying fur and designers who use fur are relocating their activities to China because of inexpensive labor costs and minimal regulations China is one of the few countries in the world where there is not one single law designed to protect animals from cruelty. The international trade in cat and dog fur is gaining Momentum and the level of cruelty which this industry tolerates is horrendous. It is estimated that 2 million dogs and cats each year are killed in China for fur. The USA has banned the sale of dog and cat fur, and Europe has decided to follow suit, beginning in December of 2008. It has also been proven that China fur companies will oftentimes mislabel dog and cat fur to make it more marketable. For example, they will label the product as fake fur, when in fact it is dog fur. In addition, they use processing techniques to try to hide the fact that it is actually dog and cat fur. They use dog and cat fur in coats, fur trim, fur animal trinkets and more. Dog fur is typically labelled as: Gae-wolf, sobaki, Asian jackal, goupee, loup d`Asie, Corsac fox, dogues du Chine, fake or exotic fur. Cat fur is labelled as: house cat, wild cat, katzenfelle, rabbit, goyangi, and mountain cat. For those stuffed animals that look like real fur, they will normally label them as rabbit fur or fake fur. An animal lover may buy a stuffed animal labeled as fake fur, but in actuality they will be purchasing an item made from the fur of some poor animal.
The industry makes no distinction between strays and pets, rounding up any animals they can find. Dogs and cats no different from our pets, cruelly killed to make products sold to unwary consumers who generally have no way to know what they are buying.
ONE CHINESE COMPANY reportedly sells 10,000 dog and cat fur coats to Russia each year and claims that companies in Europe use dog skin in shoes and handbags and use dog fur in fur trim, though it may not be identified as dog fur. A typical problem for consumers who want to avoid buying dog and cat fur-trimmed items. But the fur is virtually indistinguishable from the fur of this pet Golden Retriever.
Cats fare no better than dogs in China. At a thriving fur market;in the province of Hebei, there is a cat breeding farm and a factory that processes cats into furs. Factory workers sort cat furs by color. 100,000 or more cat furs can be in a factory at one time.
The following information was gathered by an investigation by inFURmation. The whole of the story can be seen at their website. One Chinese company told investigators that it had 50,000 cat skins and 50,000 dog skins in stock. At one German auction alone, 10,000 Korean dog fur pelts were available. One shipment from a Chinese company to the Czech Republic, reportedly for the Czech army, contained 5,329 kilograms (11,924 pounds) of "house cat skin jackets + plates", representing the slaughter of 40,000 to 55,000 cats. Chinese fur factory told investigators that it had 100,000 cat skins stored in its factory. Documents detailing the export of "house cat skin jackets and plates" from a Beijing company to a company in the Czech Republic indicate that the number of cats killed for just one shipment totaled 40,000 to 55,000, possibly more (calculation based on total weight of the pelts). One shipment from China to Italy was seized for lack of proper permits. It contained 4.7 tons of dog hides. Italy, France, Russia and Germany procure these furs by the millions.... And from those countries, fur products are distributed on the internet worldwide.
The live dogs in China are transported in small cages, and are treated brutally. Once they reach the destination, they are tied up, the vein in the back leg is cut, and they are slowly bled to death, a terrifying and painful method used to prevent any damage to the animal’s fur. Cats are often strangled with wire nooses. Although the United-States, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Greece and Australia have prohibited the import of dog and cat fur, Canada has yet to implement similar restrictions. While these prohibitions are a big step in the right direction, it is difficult to stem the tide of dog and cat fur entering western countries because it is often deliberately mislabeled for export. The only way to establish the true origin of fur is with expensive DNA tests.
When undercover investigators made their way onto Chinese fur farms recently, they found that many animals are still alive (we’ve seen the horrible videos) and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them. When workers on these farms begin to cut the skin and fur from an animal’s leg, the free limbs kick and writhe. Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who struggle too hard to allow a clean cut. When the fur is finally peeled off over the animals’ heads, their naked, bloody bodies are thrown onto a pile of those who have gone before them. Some are still alive, breathing in ragged gasps and blinking slowly. Some of the animals’ hearts are still beating five to ten minutes after they are skinned.
This picture was posted by Jane Carter on Dec. 10th, 2010 and it's one of the most heartbreaking and horrific pictures I've ever seen. Skinned alive and still blinking his eyes as he is thrown into a grinding machine. China is hell on earth for animals.''
One investigator recorded a skinned raccoon dog on the heap of carcasses who had enough strength to lift his bloodied head and stare into the camera
WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO: http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/dog.html
Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground; workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken bones and convulsions but not always immediate death. Animals watch helplessly as workers make their way down the row.
Undercover investigators from Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International recently toured fur farms in China’s Hebei Province, and it quickly became clear why outsiders are banned from visiting. There are no regulations governing fur farms in China— farmers can house and slaughter animals however they see fit—meaning miserable lives and excruciating deaths. The investigators found horrors beyond their worst imaginings and concluded, “Conditions on Chinese fur farms make a mockery of the most elementary animal welfare standards. In their lives and their unspeakable deaths, these animals have been denied even the simplest acts of kindness.” On these farms, animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire cages, exposed to driving rain, freezing nights, and, at other times, scorching sun. Mother animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters. Disease and injuries are widespread, and animals suffering from anxiety-induced psychosis chew on their own limbs and throw themselves repeatedly against the cage bars. The globalization of the fur trade has made it impossible to know where fur products come from. Skins move through international auction houses and are purchased and distributed to manufacturers around the world, and finished goods are often exported. China supplies more than half of thefinished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Even if a fur garment’s label says it was made in a European country, the animals were likely raised and slaughtered elsewhere-possibly on an unregulated Chinese fur farm. Fur from dogs and cats is generally not used to make full-length fur coats, but rather to line the inside of parkas, gloves, hats, handbags and other accessories. Approximately 20% of all animal figurines covered in fur are fabricated using dog and cat fur. Whether captured in traps which cause immeasurable damage and pain, or raised on farms under brutal conditions where they are deprived of their natural habitat, animals suffer enormously at the hands of the international fur industry. With so many high-quality alternatives to fur, compassionate consumers can spare animals, including dogs and cats by choosing soft acrylics, brushed cotton and faux fur. Because a fur’s origin can’t be traced, anyone who wears any fur at all shares the blame for the horrific conditions on Chinese fur farms. The only way to prevent such unimaginable cruelty is never to wear any fur. For more information, video footage and retailers that carry or don’t carry faux fur products go to:
Is It Real or Fake?
What to Look for: 1. Pull the hair apart. If it's real, "you can see the skin at the base," says a Humane Society rep. "Fur is not like wool, where they shave the sheep; it's actually the skin, with fur attached." 2. Pluck a few hairs from the fur and burn them, "If it smells like burned hair, it's real. If it melts, it's faux." 3. Blow on the fur; real fur "agitates very easily," says designer Marc Bouwer. "Faux fur just stays stiff."
 Addresses of Chinese Embassies can be found on the Internet but here is the address of the Chinese Minister of Commerce: Minister Bo Xilai No.2 Dong Chang'an Avenue Beijing, China 100731 Australian fur trade using cruel raccoon dog from China in clothes and ugg boots
 SOME Australian ugg boot makers are using pelts from animals skinned alive in China for the footwear and labelling it as wool and other materials, according to an animal rights group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLcgxIGTFRs
Investigators from The Humane Society International have today revealed the results of tests on a range of clothing including a brand of the iconic Aussie ugg boot and claim many samples contain the fur of raccoon dogs.
The raccoon dog is indigenous to east Asia and is closely related to carnivorous and omnivorous mammals which includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. In this graphic video taken by Swiss Animal Protection you can see the terrified animals being skinned alive and then thrown on a heap, in one instance an animal is still able to weakly raise its head after having its skin and fur cut off. The shocking revelations from HSI come just four months after graphic footage of the cruel treatment of Australian livestock in Indonesian abattoirs led to a live temporary live export ban. Activists are now calling for the fur trade to be shut down. The government has already clamped down on dog and cat fur, banning importation in 2004 after shocking footage was produced by an earlier HSI investigation into domestic dog fur farms, however fur of the raccoon dog continues to be imported into Australia. One pair of popular ugg boots tested by HSI and revealed to contain dog raccoon fur were labelled “Australian sheep skin." The company in question has been approached for comment. HSI Director Verna Simpson said the ugg boots her organisation tested were just one of dozens of products being imported into Australia using racoon dog fur and in other cases canine dog fur which is banned in Australia. “HSI has been informed that once these fur items have made it past the border, Customs has little power to take further direct action. "Further, upon requesting action from the ACCC, HSI has been notified that the matter was not of significant and widespread public detriment to warrant further action being taken,” Ms Simpson told news.com.au  Animal hair identification expert Han Brunner confirmed the boots contained raccoon dog fur and said it was time for the Government to crack down on the barbaric trade. “There is no doubt they have mislabelled these items and customs refuses to do anything. They have been labelled Australian merino fur and that was on the inside of the boot on the outside there was hairs from the raccoon dog,” he told news.com.au “I think surely that should make an impact on customs especially after the cattle slaughtering in Indonesia - dog raccoons are skinned alive and the carcass is thrown on a heap when they are still alive. Lena McDonald who runs Ugg Australia, said the use of the raccoon dog fur by other brands was tarnishing the entire ugg boot industry as many people had trouble differentiating between different brands. Ms McDonald said her company used its own local tannery to ensure the quality and standards of its boots, but added there were anywhere between 30 – 40 products using the word “ugg” but that many were not made in Australia and used overseas materials including fur. “As far as I can see many of these boots are not made in Australia at all yet they have the word Australia and ugg on them," she said. “Labelling laws in Australia are a little bit grey and we have seen companies cutting off tags saying ‘made in China’ and the Australian made tag put on it." A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the government would not ban imports of raccoon dog fur.
"With regard to fur from animals other than cats and dogs, additional import prohibitions exist under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES provides controls for the international trade of products derived from endangered animals or plants. Any trade in such items without the necessary, limited permissions is prohibited," the spokeswoman told news.com.au "Extending the ban to fur products from the Asiatic raccoon, or “raccoon dog”, is not Government policy at this time." A Customs spokeswoman said the government took the importation of illegal fur seriously but was awaiting further information before stating its position on the importation of raccoon dog fur Where Customs and Border Protection has concerns about the import of fur products, additional documentation may be sought from the importer to verify the nature of the product. In circumstances where doubt exists as to the authenticity of a product or documents, the importer may be required to provide a sample for testing by an appropriate expert. Follow the journalist on twitter: @R_BurtonBradley
There is legislation pending "Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act (Introduced in House)HR 891 IH" that will prohibit the import of this fur. This legislation pending since February 07. It is unfortunate that the 1951 Fur Products Labeling Act omitted these domestic animals from their guidelines - thus permitting an opportunity for these unscrupulous practices to begin with. In the meantime, consumers wishing to avoid purchasing cat and dog skin furs (because their is no labeling law yet) may wish to find fashionable alternatives for the warmth desired. Many synthetic, man-made textiles can provide cruelty free choices. UPDATE!!!! HSI Europe Welcomes New EU Legislation Requiring the Mandatory Labelling of Animal Fur |
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Because there are no laws in place fur trade may place any label desired to any garment or fur product, depending on the preference of the buyer—Most often, the company supplying the fur is perfectly willing to label dog or cat fur as being fur from some other species, a species presumably more acceptable to consumers.
