For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2005

Contact:
Lisa Franzetta 757-622-7382

New York — Holding up fur-trimmed jackets made by Tommy Hilfiger and P. Diddy’s Sean John that bear the "Made in China" label, PETA will hold a news conference outside Macy’s to issue a consumer alert in the first-ever exposé of Chinese fur farms, where animals are not protected by a single law. The Chinese fur industry has eclipsed all other countries combined to become the world’s largest fur supplier to the U.S. Fur has resurfaced in fashion because it is cheaper than ever to use as a result of imports from China, where millions of foxes, raccoons, minks, and rabbits are killed in ways that would shock unsuspecting consumers in the Western countries where the fur is sold:

Date: Monday, February 28
Time: 1 p.m. sharp
Place: In front of Macy’s in Herald Square, 34th Street and Broadway

A year-long undercover investigation concluded last month captured video footage of fur farmers in China swinging raccoons and foxes by their hind legs and smashing their heads into the ground—breaking the animals’ necks or backs but leaving them fully conscious, panting and blinking as they are skinned alive.

Fur from China ends up in virtually every mall in America, on jackets and other garments with fur collars, trim, and lining. A survey of U.S. retail outlets reveals that many mass-market fur-trimmed garments carry the "Made in China" label. Since raw fur pelts often move through international auctions before being sewn in other countries, the final product may also read, "Made in Italy," or, "Made in France." Chinese customs statistics for 2003 show that the net volume of fur imports and exports totals almost a billion dollars (US$997.6 million).

"Consumers who find themselves favoring fur because it’s cheap are in for a shock when they find out that it’s at the expense of animals who are literally skinned alive," says PETA Vice President Dan Mathews, who will host Monday’s news conference. "Buying anything with fur—even if it’s just trim—supports one of the most gruesome industries on the planet."

Photos and broadcast-quality video of the investigation will be available at the news conference. For more information, please visit FurIsDead.com.