(CN) Fur

[Guest guest]

South China Morning Post

Letters to the Editor

 

1. No laughing matter

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Jan 26, 2008

 

CitySeen columnist Andrew Sun wrote a light-hearted piece about two

protesters at a Hong Kong Fashion Week seminar called Let Fur Inspire You

( " Naked anti-fur protests starting to look a little threadbare " , January

16). While I understand Sun's column is a witty take on Hong Kong's social

scene, please don't ever make light of the terrible trade in animal fur.

 

There was no mention of the barbaric cruelty of the industry worldwide, and

many of CitySeen's readers may not be aware that just over the border in

Guangzhou, as well as in many other cities throughout the mainland, millions

of animals - including much-loved cats and dogs that have been stolen from

their owners and animals bred on farms in appalling conditions - are

brutally slaughtered for their fur each year. Laws fail to protect

fur-bearing animals across the world from horrific treatment. On the

mainland, where animal welfare laws are non-existent, it is a fact that many

such animals are also skinned alive.

 

There is nothing funny about that.

 

Jill Robinson, chief executive Animals Asia Foundation

 

 

 

 

2. Naked protest was necessary

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Jan 26, 2008

 

As one of the nearly-naked protesters who participated in an anti-fur

protest earlier this month ( " Naked anti-fur protests starting to look a

little threadbare " , January 16), I wish to explain why I chose to bare my

own skin in order to spare animals' skins.

 

The current situation is critical for billions of animals and because it is

our duty to continue drawing attention to their plight, we are willing to

use creative means to capture the public's imagination. We would love to be

able to present the facts without having to remove our clothes, but it

doesn't work. The disruption inside Hong Kong Fashion Week - with

fully-clothed protesters - got almost no media attention, yet our

nearly-nude demonstration got the attention of most of the city's media

outlets.

 

Consumers have a right to know about the cruelty their money supports when

they buy fur garments. Mainland fur farm workers have been filmed killing

animals in various ways, including slamming them head-first against the

ground and bludgeoning them with metal rods, knife handles or wooden sticks.

Many animals are skinned while they are still alive.

 

I hope some day the issue of animal suffering is what grabs the public's

attention but until then we will continue to take our clothes off to give

animals a voice.

 

Ashley Fruno, campaigner, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Asia-Pacific