- When undercover investigators made their way onto Chinese
fur farms recently, they found that many animals are still alive 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 10 minutes
after they are skinned. 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.
-
- 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.
-
- Background
-
- Undercover investigators from Swiss Animals 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."
-
- Living Hell
-
- On these farms, foxes, minks, rabbits, and other 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.
-
- Is There A Skeleton In Your Closet?
-
- 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 the finished 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.
-
- 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.
-
- http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/
-
- Watch video here: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=fur_farm
|