Written by PETA
Approximately 50,000 minks got a taste of freedom after someone apparently broke into two fur farms in Greece last weekend and released the animals from their hideous, cramped, filthy little cages. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for freeing the minks, but you only need to watch a few seconds of this undercover footage, which was shot on a mink farm in Sweden, to understand why minks are best left in the wild.
Horror revealed on Swedish fur farms from Djurrättsalliansen on Vimeo.
We can all emancipate minks and other animals who are imprisoned, trapped, electrocuted, gassed, stomped on, and skinned alive for their fur. All we have to do is pledge never to buy or wear even a tuft of real fur and urge everyone we know to do the same.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
When I was a little girl, I dreamed about growing up to be a rock star. Or maybe a veterinarian. Or a roller derby queen.
I didn't dream about anally electrocuting animals on fur farms, but apparently Brooke Shields did. The aging actor recently paid a visit (or should that be "was paid for a visit"?) to Kopenhagen Fur's workshop to create her very own mink coat, and she said it was "a little girl's dream."
We understand that when some actors' careers begin to fade, they'll do just about anything to stay in the limelight, including appearing in eyelash-growth commercials and starring in short-lived TV shows. But Brooke, did you really want the world to remember you as a "fur pimp" who stares agog at rows of animal skins?
Brooke says that she will wear her fur coat "when I follow my children to school, when I drink coffee, and when I sleep." Hmm, I think if you need fur to keep you warm at night, you've got problems.
What do you think?
Written by Paula Moore
Break out the party hats: Another retailer has gone fur-free! After PETA sent Caché women's specialty retailer a video showing animals being poisoned, gassed, skinned alive, and killed in other cruel ways, the company's chief executive officer informed us that Caché would stop selling real fur. Woot, woot!
According to one fur trade journal, U.S. mink farms sold 28,000 fewer skins in 2009 than in 2008, and the value of the skins that were sold dropped by 38 percent. Fur imports have also dropped considerably.
"Fur is back," my behind!
Let's keep hammering away at the fur industry—animals on fur farms don't get a summer vacation. To find out more, read the longer version of this blog on Care2
Written by Heather Moore
Did you hear that? It was the collective sigh of relief from raccoons, foxes, and minks—as well as human fur foes everywhere. It turns out that France's first lady and international style icon Carla Bruni-Sarkozy refuses to wear fur.
PETA Vice President Dan Mathews contacted Bruni-Sarkozy after seeing photos that showed her wearing what appeared to be real fur. She wrote back, "I do not wear, buy, or own fur …. Every designer who kindly lends me clothes for public appearances can tell you that I do not accept … fur pieces, even when they're only a small part of the outfit."
The first lady—who admitted to wearing fur during her modeling heyday—also made it clear that if the photos are recent, the fur is fake.
"By officially rejecting fur in the fashion capital of the world, this political and style idol will make people everywhere think about how old-fashioned and cruel it is," said Dan in a statement issued to the media.
With some free shoes from Stella McCartney, courtesy of PETA, on the way to Carla's doorstep, we're hoping she will swear off leather for good too.
Written by Karin Bennett
"It's nothing to do with animal rights—it's just that I have moved on. I think people should be able to wear what they want and I hate that the PETA people throw blood or paint over people wearing fur. To me that's just rude and if anyone did that to me they'd better be tough because they'd have a fight on their hands."
Yeah, the quote didn't exactly inspire me, either, but hey, at least it's on her radar—and sometimes all it takes for someone to come around is a gentle nudge in the right direction. So we sent her this letter, along with a copy of Martha Stewart's fur exposé in the hopes that she'll figure out why it's actually not OK for people to "wear what they want" when there's live skinning or electrocution involved. I really do think there’s a good chance she’ll change her tune once she sees how fur coats are actually made. I'll definitely let you know if we get a response.
While we're on the topic, I figured this was as good a time as any to point out that PETA has actually never thrown red paint at fur-wearers. Pies, maybe, but never red paint. Just one of those urban legends, I guess.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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