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Fur FAQ

Aren’t there laws to protect animals on fur farms?

Currently, there are no federal laws providing protection for the millions of animals—including chinchillas, foxes, minks, and raccoons—who suffer and die on fur farms. The fur industry remains completely self-regulated, which means that animals are kept in crowded, filthy wire cages, where they often develop neurotic behaviors and become sick or wounded, and fur farmers kill them by breaking their necks while they are fully conscious or by using anal or genital electrocution.

Is it OK to wear used or “vintage” fur?

Fashion should be fun … and wearing a coat made from an animal whose skin was ripped off, even if it was decades ago, just isn’t fun at all. Whether you purchased it from a consignment shop or got it as a hand-me-down gift, vintage fur sends the same unacceptable message as a new fur—that is OK to crush animals’ bones in traps, to stomp on their heads and snap their necks, or to anally electrocute them for the sake of vanity. Stylish faux furs are hip and humane, plus they are easier on your wallet and your conscience. To find fabulous fakes, click here for PETA’s “Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing.”

But doesn’t PETA donate furs to homeless people?

Yes. Although we can’t give the animals’ lives back, we can at least offer warmth to those who are not able to buy warm synthetic coats, those who might otherwise freeze in the cold this winter. PETA has received thousands of fur donations from former fur-wearers who had a change of heart after learning about the appalling cruelty involved in fur ranching and trapping. Our giveaways to needy people who might otherwise die of exposure on the streets allow former fur-wearers to clean out their closets and their consciences.

Fur giveaways also counteract furriers’ efforts to portray fur as an upscale, trendy status symbol. In fact, the overwhelming influx of fur into our office shows that fur has hit rock bottom. PETA has also sent hundreds of donated furs to help freezing Afghan refugees, used coats in educational displays in schools and libraries, redecorated them as “bloody” props for street-theater-style protests, and given them to wildlife rehabilitators to use as bedding for orphaned animals. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation of an unwanted fur.

What about rabbit fur? Isn’t it just a byproduct?

Some stores try to justify selling rabbit fur by saying that it is “just a byproduct” of the rabbit meat industry, but nothing could be further from the truth! The rabbit fur industry actually demands the pelt of thicker, older animals than those who are slaughtered for meat. In fact, the U.N. reports that “few skins are now retrieved from slaughterhouses,” and countries such as France kill as many as 70 million rabbits a year for fur. Like other animals raised and killed for their fur, rabbits—who are extremely clean by nature—are kept in tiny, filthy cages, surrounded by their own waste. They spend their entire miserable lives standing on the thin wires of their cage, never having a chance to dig, jump, or play. The methods of slaughter are inhumane—to kill the rabbits, fur farmers snap the animals’ necks or smash their skulls before stringing them up by their legs and cutting off their heads. Click here to learn more about the rabbit fur industry.

Isn’t animal fur more environmentally friendly than synthetic fur?

Absolutely not! Fur has fallen so far from grace that furriers are now trying to convince consumers that pelts are “eco-friendly,” but furs are loaded with chemicals to keep them from decomposing in buyers’ closets, and fur production pollutes the environment and wastes precious resources. It takes more than 15 times as much energy to produce a fur coat from ranch-raised animals than it does to produce a fake fur. Plus, the waste produced on fur farms poisons our waterways. And don’t forget … unlike faux fur, the “real thing” causes millions of animals to suffer every year. Click here for more information about fur and the environment.

Animals in cages on fur farms don’t suffer that much because they’ve never known anything else, right?

Wrong! Animals on fur farms are prevented from acting on their most basic instinctual behaviors, which causes them tremendous suffering. Even animals who have been caged since birth feel the need to move around, groom themselves, stretch their limbs, and exercise. All confined animals suffer from intense boredom—some so severely that they begin displaying neurotic behaviors such as pacing, turning in endless circles, self-mutilation, and even cannibalism. Click here to learn more about cruelty on fur farms.

Aren’t animals better off on fur farms, where they are fed and protected, than they are out in the wild, where they can die of starvation, disease, or predation?

A similar argument was used to support the claim that black people were better off being slaves on plantations than being free men and women! Animals on fur farms suffer so much that it is inconceivable that they could be worse off in the wild. The wild isn’t “wild” to the animals who live there—it’s their home. The fact that they might suffer there is no reason to ensure that they suffer in captivity. Click here to learn more about what a lifetime in a cage is like.

Is the fur industry as cruel as people make it out to be?

It’s even crueler. PETA’s undercover investigations on fur farms have found that animals are killed by anal electrocution, during which an electrically charged steel rod is inserted into the animal’s rectum, literally frying his or her insides. Exposed broken bones, upper respiratory infections, and cancerous tumors were among the wounds and diseases that animals endured without veterinary treatment on one fur farm that we investigated.

Animals caught in steel-jaw leghold traps are in so much pain that some actually chew off their limbs in order to escape. Since they are unable to eat, keep warm, or defend themselves against predators, many die in horrible ways before the trapper arrives to kill them. Others suffer in the traps for days until they are caught and killed. To avoid damaging the pelt, trappers often beat or stomp animals to death. Whether they are enduring the excruciating pain of a leghold trap or a lifetime of agony in a tiny cage, these animals suffer immensely. Click here to learn more about fur trapping and here to find out more about fur farms.

Is it true that some companies actually use dog and cat fur in their products?

Unfortunately, yes. There is a thriving dog- and cat-fur industry in Asia. Most of this fur is falsely labeled as “rabbit fur” or simply not labeled at all. Dog and cat skin is made into fur coats, fur figurines, and leather shoes, which are sold to unsuspecting consumers in America. Without expensive DNA tests, it is virtually impossible to know exactly what kind of animal you are wearing if you choose to buy fur. And if you wouldn’t wear your dog, why wear the fur of any animal? Click here to learn more about the dog- and cat-fur industry.

What can I do to put a stop to the cruelty of the fur industry?

There are many ways to spread the message of compassion. You can help by speaking with the managers of stores that sell fur and fur trim and letting them know that you won’t be shopping there until they take the fur off their racks. Set up an information table outside a store that sells fur or on a busy street. We can send you posters and leaflets to use. Let fur-wearers know how you feel about cruelty to animals, and have leaflets on hand to educate them about it. PETA also has anti-fur buttons available that you can use to adorn your cruelty-free bag or nonfur coat. You can also reach countless people by writing letters to the editors of your local newspapers about the cruelty of the fur industry. Click here for more ways to get active.

Why Should Animals Have Rights?

Supporters of animal rights believe that animals have an inherent worth—a value completely separate from their usefulness to humans. We believe that every creature with a will to live has a right to live free from pain and suffering. For more information, click here.