Trapping today is a strictly regulated activity. Trapping practices are controlled by laws that ensure strict animal-welfare standards as defined by veterinary pathologists. We have humane standards and certified traps. Most animals are now captured in lethal traps that can kill virtually instantly. Larger predators are taken in modified live restraint traps that generally cause few injuries. Only a few furbearing species are still captured with modified restraining or cage traps, which have been shown to cause few or no injuries.
Scientific research established cage sizes to ensure that mink are provided with a comfortable living space in a farm environment. Farmed mink are domesticated animals, and farmers are responsible of ensuring their welfare with proper nutrition, housing and care. Ranchers work hard to raise healthy animals; in fact, their livelihood depends upon it!
The way in which farmed mink are raised has been refined and perfected over many years. This work is guided by research to determine optimal cage size and design, nutrition and recommended husbandry practices, in order to ensure the health and well-being of the animals.
Because mink are like any other domesticated animal, they require farmers to take care of them for basic needs like food, water and shelter.
When farms are attacked by animal rights extremists, both the animals and the people living on the farm suffer. Farmed mink have been raised in captivity for more than generations; they are not prepared to survive in the wild. Many will die of starvation or dehydration unless rescued quickly.
It is devastating for farm families too, of course, when strangers break into their property in the middle of the night, masked and dressed in black, destroying property and harming the animals that farmers have worked so hard to raise and care for.
After World War II, mink fur emerged as a fashion favourite , eclipsing the pre-war favourite, fox. Mink farming took off and a steady supply of mink oil was available for the first time. Competitors followed suit, adding mink oil to lipstick, cleanser, moisturizer and hair products.
These days, mink oil beauty products are harder to come by, and mink carcasses are usually composted into fertiliser — either on-farm or in separate facilities — or used to make bio-fuel. Mink oil is also used for bio-fuel, either alone or mixed with other animal fats.
The fat may be composted too, but it slows the process down. In regions where mink farms are clustered, the steady supply of fat is especially prized. Bio-fuel producers know that its protein level is higher than other animal fats, and that means more energy per unit.
A good supply also makes refined and purified mink oil a viable business for use in cosmetics, leather conditioning and other purposes. Spec refines some of its mink oil for specialty markets but sells most in raw form to companies that further refine it for sale to end users. Most ends up with tanneries to make leather pliable and waterproof, but consumers also buy it to condition leather saddles and baseball mitts, to waterproof boots, and other uses.
In Europe, another centre of mink farming, the story is a little different. Strict EU regulations governing the disposal of carcasses mean that almost all mink carcasses, along with the fat, are turned into bio-fuel. There are exceptions. In Iceland, the Einarsson family farms horses, sheep and, for the past 34 years, mink. Their breakthrough has been production of mink oil conditioner for leather shoes and saddles, and a range of lotions and creams, under the brand name Gandur , which are sold in pharmacies in Iceland, Sweden and Denmark.
Questions about the fur trade? Find answers here. Filter By : All. Ask a question. Our blog Go to blog. Is fur an ethical clothing choice? For a full discussion of how the North American fur trade satisfies all four of the criteria required for the ethical use of animals, please visit our blog post: Why fur is the ethical clothing choice Answer by : Alan Herscovici, senior researcher, Truth About Fur. Are animals skinned alive for fur? It would be completely inhumane Contrary to what activists would have us believe, most farmers take great pride in what they do; they take good care of their animals and treat them with respect.
Answer by : Senior researcher and writer, Truth About Fur. Is fur processing bad for the environment? Answer by : Luigi Cappuccio, fur processor Montreal, Canada. Further information Is your fleece killing the ocean?
By Mother Jones. Say no to faux: the ethics of fake fur By i-D. Does trapping endanger species? Truth About Fur: Historically, there were few regulations governing hunting and trapping, and some species were indeed seriously reduced, including some local beaver populations. Rules for licensed trappers who unintentionally trap a threatened or endangered species By Government of Ontario.
Are farmed animals killed humanely? What types of furs are used in the fur trade? Why is American mink the world's favourite fur? By Truth About Fur - the Blog. After the fur is used, what happens to the rest of the mink? Further information Crabbing tips mink carcasses are popular with crabbers By fishyfish. Animal fat-based biodiesel: Explore its untapped potential By Biodiesel Magazine. How to make fuel from animal fat By Ready4itall.
Are farmed mink raised only for their fur? Further information Crabbing tips mink carcasses are popular with crabbers By Fishyfish. Biofuel By Wikipedia. What is it really like to work on a mink farm? A year on a mink farm. How are fur animals trapped in the wild? Conibear lethal trap Restraining systems: Live-holding traps are needed for larger predators because these animals e.
Foothold trap More than 58 million USD has been invested over the past 20 years by state and federal governments and by the International Fur Federation to develop and test innovative humane trapping systems. Are steel-jawed leghold traps still used in North America? Why do we need foothold traps? Are foothold traps humane?
How are trapped animals killed? How are farmed foxes killed? Dave MacHattie, Canadian Veterinarian. How are farmed mink killed?
A veterinarian answers: "When harvest time comes around, there are requirements and guidelines that ensure mink are euthanized humanely. Answer by : Dr. Further information A Year on a Mink Farm. How do we know only targeted animals are captured? Trapper education By Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Fur harvester course By Government of Nova Scotia.
Trapping in Ontario By Government of Ontario. Trapper education By Environment Yukon. What happens to the rest of the trapped animal after the fur has been taken?
Muskrat recipes By From Cooks. Why do we still need trapping? Further information How a trapper's knowledge solved my urban pest problem By Leslie Ballentine. Truth About Fur - the Blog.
Is fur still biodegradable even though it is 'processed' to make it long-lasting? Fur is biodegradable By Fur Is Green. Fur processing By Truth About Fur website. Adding hair to compost By Gardening Know How. Are furbearers trapped only for their fur? Trapping is also essential to protect some thirty endangered species of plants and animals.
Further information Why trap? By Fur Institute of Canada. How are the prices of fur determined? Answer by : Howard Trager, fur broker Montreal, Canada. Further information Do fur farmers and trappers get a fair price for their products? By Truth About Fur website. American Legend Cooperative. Fur Harvesters Auction Inc. North American Fur Auctions. Do fur farmers and trappers get a fair price for their products?
Further information How are prices of fur determined? How long does it take to make a fur coat? Is fur still warm if it is 'sheared' to be less bulky? Two types of fur are worth a special mention here. Are fashion designers using fur in their new collections?
The history of faux fur. For more than years, the fine line between finks and minks has been blurred By Alice Hines, Smithsonian. We urge the government to signal their commitment to a UK fur sales ban, starting with a public consultation. State to ban the sale of animal fur. Governor Gavin Millions of animals suffer and die every year for fashion. Confined in small, wire-mesh cages on factory farms or captured by brutal metal traps in the wild, their fur is turned into frivolous keychain trinkets or trim on coats and hats.
How many animals are killed globally on fur farms? Each year, around one hundred million animals are bred and killed Share Click to share on Facebook Opens in new window Click to share on Twitter Opens in new window Click to email this to a friend Opens in new window.
Raccoon dog on a fur farm in a country in Asia that supplies fur to the U. Additionally, rabbits are also killed for their fur, likely to be in the hundreds of millions. On fur farms, animals spend their entire lives in tiny wire battery cages. Foxes are typically kept in cages that are just one metre squared, thousands of times smaller than their territories would be in the wild.
This would be like a person being forced to live their entire life in a lift. Foxes and raccoon dogs are known to be able to become infected with SARS-CoV-related viruses, with the potential to act as intermediate hosts to pass viruses to humans. Exactly what makes you different — are you claiming to have NO agenda yourselves?
I have a 7 yr old raccoon beside me here. She was born on a fur farm, was genetically engineered over several generations to produce a fur that looks and feels nothing like raccoon fur. She is as loving and unique and special as any animal or non-human animal one of you might actually feel love for.
Her family is just fur trim somewhere today. You should meet her someday. She has a message for you as well. Care to guess her opinion of what you lamely attempt to defend — skinned alive or NOT? We KNOW the science proving non-human animal cognition. Trying to makes you sub-human today,or else just too ignorant to comprehend right from wrong?
There is NO right way to do a wrong thing, period, end of discussion among anyone with a heart and a brain, anyway. Hi MW, I apologise for not addressing your main argument but something else about your post really caught my attention. You say you have a pet raccoon that was auctioned by one fur farm as a breeder for another. Are you in North America?
I am not aware of any raccoon fur farms in North America. Nor is she acting legally. Wars are legal, dumping chemicals in ocean is legal and other horrors. However you seem to be defending the fur dealers. Have we missed the point here? The reason many disagree with these animal products is that they are the body parts of our fellow animals.
These animals may not speak our language but no way would they choose to be farmed vs being free. Anyone who thinks that farming animals is worse than those is seriously messed up in the head. The point of this blog post was simply to show that this sensationalist claim is a complete fabrication.
But, of course, the reason why activists promote this vicious lie is because most people do NOT agree with you; most people DO believe that humans have a right to use animals if this is done responsibly and humanely.
Hey Alan, that yellow dog would sure make a cool purse. A very small minded justification attempt. MV, you raise some interesting questions. Yes, most societies make distinctions about which animals can be used for what purposes e. Dog fur and leather has, in fact, been used through most of human history — and still is, in some regions.
In wealthy western societies, however — with big houses and few children — dogs are increasingly being adopted as members of our families. They live in our houses and often sleep in our beds. Dogs therefore benefit from the quasi-universal rule that we do not eat or make purses from members of our families. When I threw your question to a group of cattlemen, once i. But what goes around, comes around, and we will all be eaten in the end by worms and bacteria.
Unless, of course, you choose cremation…but that may soon be frowned upon if it is shown to aggravate global warming?? To many of these groups, it is a business and a game and it has very little to do with animal welfare. These groups take advantage of uninformed people — often the young and the elderly — who really think that by donating money they are helping to save the world. They are very successful in spreading their damaging messages.
Like puppy mills, most fall under the radar and are not inspected for humane conditions. There was recently an article about Russian fur farms and the mountains of thousands of skinned bodies that are chopped up and fed to the others. They are paralyzed and skinned alive. This is fact, they admit it. I suspect this is what happens in all fur farms.
As far as you defending China, shame on you. There is absolutely no humane treatment there. They are monsters. Many many videos of live animals having limbs chopped off, then skinned alive, fur animals, dogs and cats.
Seriously what a joke. Denise, with all due respect, you appear to believe all the worst lies disseminated by animal rights extremists, and then to have added some of your own. Fur farms in North America are strictly regulated and subject to inspections by independent veterinarians. Could you please provide references for your accusations? Can you provide a link to your article?
As for animals being skinned alive in China, there is only one video we are aware of, and that was almost certainly staged by animal rights extremists. The fur trade is a responsible industry, and if you can back up your claims, I assure you we will forward the evidence the relevant authorities and ensure the abusers are punished.
This is the same video that I debunked in my article above. If this was really common practice, how come there is only this single video filmed more than a decade ago? Don, that is a notorious video which was closely examined by the fur trade and others when it was first released. Meanwhile, analysis of the conversations in the video strongly suggests the acts performed were done at the direction of the person or people doing the filming.
Therefore, as far as the fur trade is concerned, and the Chinese government, this video production was staged by animal rights activists. Something can only be considered humane if you would gladly have it done to you. The regulated fur industry is highly transparent. Fur farming has more stringent controls and welfare standards than most other forms of animal farming.
We are committed to developing higher standards all the time. All our members have signed a code of conduct covering welfare and the environment. We have an Origin Assured OA label to show which countries have regulations in place and we are currently looking at new technology to strengthen traceability.
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