Just when you thought that footwear involving the mutilation of millions of sheep couldn't get any ugglier, several makers of knock-off UGG-style boots have been found to use fur from animals who were beaten and skinned alive. Tests conducted on products labeled as "Australian sheepskin" found that they were actually made of raccoon dog fur, most likely from animals confined to barbaric Chinese fur farms. 

Raccoon dogs are confined to row upon row of tiny wire cages that are exposed to the elements. Many of the animals go insane from the intensive confinement. Undercover video footage shows raccoon dogs as they are dragged from cages and slammed repeatedly to the ground before being skinned while still conscious. Some survive for as long as 10 minutes, blinking in pain on a pile of other bodies.

The tests also found that some boots contained domestic dog fur, which made it into Australia despite the country's ban on dog and cat fur.

Since you never can be sure whose fur ends up on your boots, coat, or gloves, the best thing to do is avoid all fur. 

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

We at PETA have always known that fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people, and it looks like Seoul, South Korea, agrees. Fur-monger Fendi got into a hairy situation when it wanted to send a forest's worth of animals down the runway at Seoul's exclusive new Floating Island culture center.

After animal advocates lodged strong complaints with city officials, the officials told Fendi to sack the skins or pack up and leave. "We have clearly confirmed social sentiment against fur products," said city spokesperson Jong-Hyun Lee.

Fendi refused, and now the fashion house has to look for a house in which to show its fall collection of cruelty. Fendi has just a few days left to choose between losing the fur and losing one of its biggest marketing events of the year.
 

 
This is a groundbreaking move for South Korea, which has historically been a big producer and consumer of fur. Hopefully, South Korea's neighbor, China, will take note and give fur the cold shoulder too.
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

The truth will set you free—free of any chance that you might accidentally buy real fur, that is. President Obama has signed the Truth in Fur Labeling Act into law, which now requires that all products containing any animal fur—no matter how little—be labeled by species and country of origin. Under the previous law, manufacturers weren't required to label or identify the fur as real on an article of clothing unless it cost more than $150, leaving people in the dark about whether they were buying real or faux fur.

Just ask Diddy. The music mogul had a "faux no" moment when he recently found out that jackets from his Sean John clothing line that were labeled as having fake trim actually contained raccoon dog fur (insert shudder here).  

 pkuczynski/CC by 3.0

Speaking of garments made of real fur, I'll leave you with comedian Elayne Boosler's take on the new law: "Congress passes Truth in Fur Labeling Act! From now on, every fur coat will have a label that says, 'This garment being worn by a shallow, narcissistic, selfish creature.'"

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

What happens when an animal rights activist armed with a video camera goes into fur salons and tells the employees that animals are sometimes skinned alive for their fur? Watch this video to find out:

For the impatient among you, fast-forward to 5:20 to see the, ahem, fur really start to fly.

If you haven't already done so, post a link to PETA's Chinese fur farm investigation footage (the impetus for the fur salon ambush) on your Facebook page. 'Tis the season for giving people a reason to scratch fur off their Christmas lists.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Donna Karan knows about the suffering that goes into each and every fur-trimmed coat, hat, and bag that contains the skins of dead rabbits (we know—we showed her ourselves). You might think that a "Zen, revolutionary designer" such as DK would take a stand and permanently remove fur from her collections, but you'd be wrong. Check out our latest friendly reminder to her that she has strayed from "the path":

This comes after the recent flooding of Karan's DKNY Facebook page earlier last week.

DK needs to take a cue from cruelty-free fashion friends Stella McCartney, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Liz Claiborne, who have chosen to leave fur where it belongs—on the bunnies! Please let her know what you think too!

Written by Alissa Moceri

Here's a tip as we head toward Fur-Free Friday: If you really want folks to understand how gruesomely cruel the fur trade is, sometimes you just gotta confront them with a "bloody carcass" or two three.

Now, before you send us an angry e-mail, please note the quotation marks above—the carcasses (and the blood) were fake, but their intent was all too real: persuading shareholders attending the annual meeting of fashion retailer Coach to back PETA's resolution calling on the company to stop selling fur. Since we knew we might only have a few seconds to get our message across, we presented the grisly props as an instant reminder that many animals killed for their fur are electrocuted with rods that are forced into their orifices, have their legs or necks crushed in cruel traps, or simply have the skin cut and ripped from their bodies while they are still conscious.

Ready to get in the fight against fur? Great—let's get started!

Written by Jeff Mackey

Animals who are bred and killed for their fur in China live in misery from birth to death. Chinchillas, foxes, minks, raccoons—and, yes, even dogs and cats—are jammed into crowded wire cages, and the close confinement and filthy conditions quickly lead to mental illness. As documented in our undercover video, fur farmers kill animals by bashing their heads in or breaking their necks while they are still conscious.

Animal protection laws are nonexistent in China, but PETA Asia is working overtime to change that. Whether by submitting recommendations for China's first-ever animal protection legislation, going undercover at fur farms, or exposing the hideous conditions for animals in Chinese zoos, PETA Asia is tirelessly on the front line for animals.

Please take a moment to write to the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., Zhang Yesui, and ask him to do everything in his power to put animal welfare on the agenda in his country. Share the video with family and friends, and remember: If we don't watch it, we can't stop it.

For more information on animal welfare in China, please check out PETA Asia's Web site.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Mais oui! The rain didn't keep members of PETA France—or nearly five hundred other demonstrators—away from a massive anti-fur march in Paris on Saturday.

Think these "grim reapers" are scary? Try watching PETA's fur exposés without covering your eyes. Betcha can't.

Onlookers learned the stomach-turning truth about fur—that regardless of whether it involves the bloody head-bashing of baby seals in Canada or the skinning of live animals on Chinese fur farms, fur always represents horrible suffering for animals.

As a result of the march, the French television news service M6 even ran a feature against the fur trade. It also polled visitors to its Web site: So far, out of 16,000 respondents, 81 percent favor an end to the fur trade.

So tell us, what's your opinion on fur?

Written by Karin Bennett