Humane Society: 'Faux fur' often animal hair

[Guest guest]

Dear members

 

Please be aware of the fake fur fashion is not NON-USED FUR products.

 

Please see the news at

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/07/dog.fur/index.html

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Many fur or fur-trimmed jackets sold in the United

States as having " faux fur " -- or not labeled at all -- are actually made,

at least in part, from dog fur, the Humane Society of the United States

said at a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday.

 

Out of 25 jackets that it tested, the group said, 24 were incorrectly

labeled. In many cases, it said, tests showed the fur came from raccoon

dogs, a fox-like nocturnal residents of Asian and northern European forests

that bear a remarkable resemblance to raccoons.

 

 

Thank you for your attention,

 

Maya Ando

 

 

> " naligirl45 " <naligirl45

>aapn

> Dog ann cat fur - (Part 2) Please spread the word!!

Crosspost!

>Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:46:11 -0000

>

>

>France may be a country of dog lovers, but investigators found that dog

>fur imported from China is used to make jackets sold mainly in the

>French Alps. Documentation shows that one French company had 2,000 dog

>fur plates on hand, with another 1,000 expected to arrive within the

>month. A pricing sheet from the company shows that in addition to dog

>fur (which is called loup d'Asie, or " wolf of Asia " ), the

>company offers furs and skins of goat, pony, reindeer, and antelope.

>The Price of Suffering

> * At a German auction, one Korean dog fur (German shepherd) was $9.

>* At one Chinese company dealing in " animal by-products, " a fur " plate "

>of 6 to 8 gray or orange cat pelts may be purchased for $21. Two plates

>make a short jacket. Three plates make up a coat. That's 12 to 16

>cats who suffer and die for each jacket, 18 to 24 cats killed for each

>coat. Cat-head plates are also available at this factory¡¦6 cat

>heads per plate, at a price of $15. * A Beijing company declared its

>ability to export 20,000 cat skins as well as 20,000 dog skins between

>January and March 1998. In January the company had in stock the pelts of

>50,000 cats and 50,000 dogs. Gray and orange cat pelts were $2.60 each;

>gray and yellow dog pelts were $8.50 each. * Gray and orange cat

>skins at one Chinese company, were priced at $2.60 each; gray and yellow

>dog skins were $8.50 each. * A fur plate of 6 to 8 cats was priced

>at $21 at one Chinese company. * At one Chinese factory, one cat

>skin cost $50; at another, $2.09; in Beijing, $2.15.

>9999The Effect on U.S. Consumers

>The extent to which dog and cat fur products are for sale in U.S. stores

>cannot be known. But investigators have found jackets with fur labeled

> " Mongolia dog fur " in a major retailer with stores across the

>country. Many other fur-trimmed items look and feel like the cat and dog

>fur investigators saw in factories in China and at retailers and other

>companies in Europe.

>The problem is that it's not easy in fact, it's not possible to

>identify many fur items. Each year millions of animal fur pelts are

>imported into the United States from countries all over the world,

>including China and other Asian countries.

>Statistics on fur and leather imports and exports are kept by the U.S.

>Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. But species-specific data

>are recorded only for certain animals. A wide range of pelts and

>fur-skin products are grouped together in one category, designated NESOI

>(Not Elsewhere Specified or Otherwise Indicated). This category includes

>pelts from any species of animal not specifically defined by the bureau,

>including cats and dogs. Federal law in no way prohibits the importation

>of domestic dog or cat pelts into the United States.

>Investigators learned that many companies and individuals involved in

>the trade of cat and dog fur use ambiguous terms and mislabeling to

>disguise the true identity of their products. Complicating the labeling

>issue even more, 1998 amendments to the U.S. Fur Products Labeling Act

>exempt from labeling requirements all fur products costing less than

>$150ÍÂ price range into which most fur-trimmed garments and

>accessories fall.

>Other major items of production (aside from fox and mink) include

>weasel, kolinsky, goupee (an animal unique to China), fox, rabbit,

>leopard cat, squirrel and lamb. [Emphasis added¡¦quot;goupee " is

>another term for dog fur.]

>Í÷Fur Age Weekly (1995)

>The " Mongolia dog fur " -trimmed jackets are not the first products to be

>openly labeled " dog fur " and sold in the United States. In 1994 Tecnica

>USA, an affiliate of Tecnica S.p.A. in Italy, paid a fine and halted

>importation of boots lined with dog fur. Animal lovers had protested the

>company's use of dog fur after it was reported that its after-ski

>boots carried a label marked, " trim: Chinese dog fur.' These products

>were being sold in 600 stores around the United States. Company

>representatives in New Hampshire claimed the fur was from " a

>long-haired coyote type of dog, " but few wild dogs inhabit Asia, and

>coyotes exist in the wild only in North and South America. It is

>reasonable to assume that there are more companies like Tecnica and more

>products like the " Mongolia dog fur " -trimmed jackets, yet

>undiscovered, using the fur of companion animals and selling it in U.S.

>stores. In addition, investigators found a number of companies that

>expressed their ability and willingness to export cat and dog fur to the

>United States and companies that said they had exported dog fur to the

>United States in the past. U.S. citizens by the millions travel to

>Europe and Asia, where dog and cat fur products are sold every day,

>though the products are rarely labeled as such.

>U.S. consumers can buy an endless array of fur-trimmed items at

>virtually any department store. But what are they buying? The ear muffs

>are labeled as being rabbit fur. The coat trim is labeled as " blue

>fox. " The glove trim is simply labeled " Genuine Fur. " The

>point of origin for the fur used on these items is China. Without DNA

>testing, investigatorsÍÐr consumersÍÄan't be sure

>So the very real probability exists that American consumers could be

>buying dog and cat furÍÊn this country or while

>travelingÍØhether they mean to or not.

>Conclusion

>

>We are a nation of pet owners. There are an estimated 53 million owned

>dogs and 59 million owned cats in the United States. Few if any pet

>owners would knowingly subject their own beloved pets to the horror and

>pain suffered by dogs and cats caught up in the global fur trade. Yet

>can anyone be sure that the pair of fur-lined gloves or the fur-trimmed

>jacket in a department store isn't madeÍÍiterallyÍÇrom the

>misery of companion animals just like ours? The truth is, we can't.

>DOG FUR¡¦>Also Known As or Labeled As:

> * Gae-wolf * Sobaki * Asian jackal * Gou-pee * Goupee

>* Kou pi * Gubi * China wolf * Asian wolf * Pommern wolf

>* Loup d'Asie (wolf of Asia) * Asiatic raccoon dog * Corsac

>fox * Dogues du Chine

>DOG SKIN¡¦>May Be Declared As:

> * Special skin * Lamb skin * Mountain goat skin * Sakhon

>Nakhon lamb skin

>CAT FUR¡¦>Also Known As:

> * Housecat * Wild cat * Katzenfelle * Goyangi *

>Mountain cat

>Nonlabeling, mislabeling, and the wide use of pseudonyms for cat and dog

>fur make it nearly impossible in many cases for virtually any consumer

>to know what he or she is buying, whether in the United States or when

>traveling. The trade in fur involves global interaction and exchange.

>Animals may be killed in one country, processed in another, and the

>finished garment or accessory sold in a store or market anywhere in the

>world.

>That alone would be enough reason to stop buying fur. But there's

>more. The fact is that dog and cat fur is just a part of the fur

>industryÍÊt's all connected, and the trade in domestic cat and

>dog fur and skin is closely linked to the mainstream fur trade.

>Investigators found that furriers dealing in all species of animals

>traditionally exploited for " pelt production " may trade in dogs

>and cats as well. The availability and use of dog and cat fur is

>documented in standard trade journals used in the fur industry. But it

>is unlikely that consumers know the truth, and it is probable that even

>retailers, store buyers, and designers may be unaware of the real source

>of some of the fur they buy or use.

>The bottom line is that buying any fur product serves to support the fur

>industry as a whole and sends the message that fur is desirable instead

>of deadly.

>Any demand for fur ensures that somewhere an animal is suffering and

>dying to fill that demandÍÎaybe, in some cold, dark corner of the

>Earth, an animal just like your own pet.

>

>

>THE SKIN TRADE

>

>Investigators also went undercover to look into reports of horrific

>conditions at cat slaughterhouses in the Philippines and dog

>slaughterhouses in Thailand. We found that these activities were not

>specifically part of the fur trade, since these animals were killed

>primarily for their skin (though the corpses of dogs killed in Thailand

>are also used for meat, animal feed, lard, and aphrodisiacs).

>The dog and cat skin trade is, like the fur trade, global in scope.

>Companies that use cat skins from the Philippines and dog skins from

>Thailand may also be using skins of dogs and cats killed in China and

>other countries. Any of these skins could be used in products made and

>sold in Asia, Europe, or even the United States.

>What is different between the fur trade and the skin trade is the

>product. What is the same is the suffering.

>

>Philippine Cat Slaughter

>Investigators located one cat slaughterhouse on the island of Mindanao

>that may kill and skin as many as 100 cats on a given day. Some skins

>are exported to Japan for use on drums and guitars. Only male cats are

>killed for their skins because the nipples of female cats reduce the

>usable size of the skin. This has led to a scarcity of male cats in the

>city where the slaughterhouse is located, and collectors now drive to

>distant cities to round up cats in the street. Some of these cats are

>strays, but according to sources in the Philippines, most are stolen

>pets. The cats are stuffed into sacks and driven to the slaughterhouse,

>a journey that can last up to six hours, without food or water.

>Innocent cats, many of them stolen pets, are slowly and cruelly

>strangled while other cats watch, terrified, and await their fate. The

>end product of this horror? Skin drums and other cat skin products sold

>around the world.

>

>While the owners of the cat slaughter operation are extremely wary of

>strangers, investigators were eventually able to get inside the

>facility. They found cats crammed into cages, some trying in vain to

>escape, others paralyzed with fear.

>In 1996 the Philippine secretary of agriculture was quoted as saying the

>slaughter of cats was legal so long as the animals were humanely killed.

>There was nothing humane about the killing witnessed by the

>investigators.

>One by one, cats were hung from their necks by ropes while other cats

>watched helplessly. They didn't scream, since the rope was pulled

>tighter and tighter as they struggled and slowly suffocated.

>The cats were then skinned, and the skins were thrown into ice water.

>Later, workers scraped off the fat, then salted and folded the skins in

>preparation for packing and shipping. Each skin was valued at about

>$12.50.

>Thailand Dog Slaughter

>Even though the government of Thailand largely disapproves of

>slaughtering dogs, as do most Thais, massive numbers of dogs are killed

>in the lucrative trade for dog flesh, hide, and other body parts.

>Investigators documented the slaughter of dogs in the vicinity of Sakhon

>Nakhon in northeast Thailand.

>Trucks transport dogs crammed into cages on their terrifying journey to

>slaughter. The trip from villages across Thailand can last for up to

>three days while the dogs suffer without food, water, or shelter from

>the elements.

>Many different breeds of dogs, collected from all over the country, are

>brought to Sakhon Nakhon to be killed. One estimate is that 30,000 dogs

>are killed in the area of Sakhon Nakhon monthly. Many of them are

>puppies.

>Typically, dogs are brought into Sakhon Nakhon from other villages,

>crammed as densely as possible into a cage on the back of the

>collector's truck. The journey can take up to three days, and the

>dogs are denied food and water during the trip. By the time they reach

>the slaughterhouse, many are sick, some are dead. But their weakened

>state makes the dogs easier to kill.

>

>It wasn't easy for the investigators to get inside the

>slaughterhouse because police investigations and unfavorable press

>reports have made workers suspicious of strangers. But the investigators

>eventually succeeded. There, they watched as workers sorted dog skins in

>the dim light.

>The next night investigators watched a truck arrive at the

>slaughter-house carrying 70 dogsÍÎixed breeds, German shepherds, and

>others. SomeÍÑossibly straysÍØere shy and frightened.

>OthersÍÑossibly stolen petsÍÍooked well-groomed and trusting.

>All met the same fate.

>Two men with heavy sticks stood ready atop the roof of a low structure

>onto which the dogs were unloaded. One dog after another, howling in

>terror, was pulled from the truck with a wire noose attached to a wooden

>catch pole. In plain view of the animals still inside the truck, each

>dog was clubbed several times over the head and on the nose. The dogs

>screamed in pain. The victims were then thrown to the ground and dragged

>off by other workers to an area where their throats were slit. In

>graphic footage, investigators captured some dogs still moving their

>tails just before their throats were cut.

>Our investigation found no evidence of cats being used as part of the

>Thai skin trade.

>How Cat and Dog Skins are Used

>In Germany investigators talked to the president of a company dealing in

>cat furs and skins. The company openly uses cat skin products as

>rheumatism aids. They make bandages, pulse warmers, and a variety of

>so-called " medicinal " products. Investigators also found dog

>skins sold in Germany as orthopedic products.

>Elsewhere, dog and cat skins are not quite so visible. Just as labeling

>is a problem with fur, especially fur trim, knowing what kind of leather

>is being used in a product can be difficult or impossible. Dog skin may

>be declared as lamb skin, mountain goat skin, or even " special

>skin. "

>Some such products are undoubtedly sold in the United States. In fact,

>investigators found dog skin plasters in New York's Chinatown, sold

>in pharmacies as a cure for rheumatism. In addition, U.S. travelers to

>Europe, Asia, and elsewhere may run the risk of unwittingly buying dog

>and cat skin products.

>Investigators have been told that dog and cat skins are used for:

>

> * Apparel * Bed sheets * Car upholstery * Drums and

>musical instruments * Handbags and small leather goods * Golf

>gloves * Gardening gloves * " Medicinal " and orthopedic

>products * Sporting goods

>In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs

>in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew

>toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys

>are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores

>

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