News Story on Dog and Cat Fur Trade

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http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1533368

Humane Society Investigation Finds Dog and Cat Fur Trade Creeping Up in Eastern

Europe

Jan. 24, 2006 - Instead of lounging around the family home, some cats and dogs

in Europe and Russia have been showing up around jacket collars and in coats,

according to a Humane Society investigation.

 

The group's undercover investigation concluded that the business of killing cats

and dogs for fur is thriving in the Czech Republic and other Eastern European

countries. This comes as a direct reaction to thriving fur sales and a noted

market shift since the U.S. banned the import of domestic pet fur, experts say.

 

" We have at the doorsteps of the European Union positive proof that this

business is not just an Asian issue anymore, " said Richard Swain, a Humane

Society vice president and investigator.

 

Swain estimates that more than 2 million dogs and cats are slaughtered every

year for their coats, with most pelts coming from Asia. And because they are

extremely difficult to identify, most shoppers don't usually know that the fur

trim on hats, coats or boots have been made with dog and cat fur.

 

Only DNA testing can reveal the true identity of a fur, Swain said.

 

 

Faux Claims?

 

At least one industry group was skeptical of the report, however.

 

" Members of the BFTA along with members of the European Fur Federation do not

handle or offer for sale domestic cat and dog skins, " said Andrea Martin, a

spokeswoman for the British Fur Trade Association.

 

She said the British government has no evidence of cat and dog pelts being

imported into the U.K. and insisted the fur trade is tightly regulated.

 

" As an industry, we are against any form of animal cruelty, " the British Fur

Trade Association said in a statement.

 

 

Video from the Humane Society investigation showed cat skins and some dog skins

hanging at one Czech warehouse. The factory worker said in the video that most

of the skins were taken from animals locally, with others coming from China.

 

 

The fur comes mostly from strays and captured pets. Bigger dogs like German

shepherds and golden retrievers have the most cache, according to People for the

Ethical Treatment of Animals.

 

Once captured, the dogs and cats are skinned, and then once the pelts have

dried, the skins often are dyed to hide any inkling of cat or dog. To further

confuse consumers, vendors and manufacturers will stitch incorrect labels.

 

For example, " Asian wolf, " " mountain cat " or what is labeled as rabbit, fox or

mink may actually be a four-legged, tongue-wagging stray.

 

 

Catwalk Fashion Embraces Fur

 

Fashion designers have recently made chic and luxurious furs a staple of haute

couture catwalks once again, and retailers have followed suit.

 

Retail sales of fur garments, trim and accessories increased worldwide by 2.8

percent in the year 2004, totaling $11.7 billion compared to a year earlier,

according to the latest survey by the International Fur Trade Federation.

 

To date France, Italy, Greece, Belgium and Denmark have banned the fur, but

because of Europe's porous borders it's not enough, said Betsy Dribben, chief

European representative for Humane Society International.

 

 

In her opinion, it's time for Europe to follow in America's tracks. The U.S.

market dried up after 2002 when the government banned the import, export, sale

and production of man's best friend after an investigation revealed some parka

jackets sold here used dog fur.

 

" The U.S. law works because the federal ban puts the burden on the individual

importers, " Dribben said. In her view, stricter labeling puts the onus on the

government, which isn't as effective at dissuading shady dealers and vendors

because catching them necessitates regular police controls.

 

Even though certain members of the European parliament have sided with a

member-wide ban, the EU Commission claims that it doesn't have the authority

under European law to enact such a ban.

 

Dribben soldiers on and has already set her sight on Russia as the next

continent to conquer. " The real goal is to get all of Europe to ban the import

of cat and dog fur, " she said.