Fur is a popular luxury. To own a fur coat is to own the finest piece of clothing money can buy. But before you purchase that soft winter garment, consider where it came from. People who promote wearing fur say they are “enjoying the fruits of the earth.” Since when does “enjoying the fruits of the earth” mean senselessly killing innocent creatures? If everyone had to make their own fur coats, only a small fraction of people would continue to wear it because those who wear fur now do not see the bloody process that created their garment.When I tell people I own a chinchilla, few people know what one looks like, but I often get the response of “Don’t they make coats out of those?” and I have even been told, “I don’t know what it is but I do own chinchilla gloves.” So for those of you wearing chinchilla fur, this is what you’re wearing, my loving pet:
Cute isn’t he? His name is Pepper. He’s two years old and very affectionate. Picture 100 of these in one box. Okay, now picture them all dying at the same time. Sad? Well, this just made one coat. That’s right; it takes at least one-hundred chinchillas to make a full fur coat. They are all placed in a box and electrocuted before each is skinned. The bodies are thrown in the trash. Now, my Pepper is lucky to have been born to a breeder and taken home by a loving family who spoils him with constant treats and affection, but he could just have easily been born in the wrong place and made into a glove. Why should 100 harmless and defenseless creatures be killed so that one person can enjoy an expensive coat?
Imagine watching your newborn baby being beaten to death and being unable to save it. This is a horror that thousands of harp seals experience every year. Contrary to popular belief, the seal hunt is still legal in Canada. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) allows hunters to slaughter baby seals for the fur industry. Two-week-old seal pups are often called "beaters" due to the method hunters use to kill them. Seal pups are separated from their mothers and herded into large groups, they are then beaten to death with clubs or hakapiks
(large clubs with metal tips similar to ice picks) but due to their gentle nature, many hunters skip the beating stage. Up to 40% of the seals killed are skinned alive. Mothers who try to defend their young are shot and left to die on the red ice. Between 2002-2003, 286,238 seals were killed. 96.6% of those killed were 12 days to 12 weeks old. Because of humans' greed for their soft white fur, the seal population has greatly decreased. When Europeans first landed in Canada, there were 30 million seals. Only 5 million remain today. 
Seals and chinchillas are not the only creatures being slaughtered for their fur. Many other species such as mink, fox, and ermine face the same cruelty. Think about what we are doing. We are literally stealing skin from other creatures and wearing it, and it’s wrong. Millions of animals are dying for no reason other than fashion. So the next time you think about buying furs, remember the gallons of blood spilt to make it. The fur looks better on the animal.
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