HK: SCMP report on fur ad in HK Arts Festival Guide and Animals Asia

[Guest guest]

Arts Festival Organisers may ban furs ads in future guides

 

By Hazel Parry

 

South China Morning Post

 

2 November 2008

 

 

Hong Kong Arts Festival organisers are considering whether to ban fur

advertisements in future programmes after one showing a model in mink

and fox fur left animal rights groups outraged.

 

The advertising policy review comes after a second animal rights group

complained and called for reassurances that no such adverts would be

carried in future.

 

 

But the Hong Kong Fur Federation, which placed the advertisement in the

booking guide of the publicly funded 2009 Hong Kong Arts Festival, said

it believed the same advert would appear in the festival's next

publication in December.

 

Members of Peta - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - also

warned that the advert could prompt protests at the festival in February

and March.

 

A second group, Animals Asia, wrote to arts festival organisers

expressing concern that the festival was " condoning the brutal fur

trade " by running the advert.

 

Animals Asia director of animal welfare and education, Mark Jones, said

he had received a letter from festival executive director Tisa Ho saying

organisers were reviewing their relationship with the Hong Kong Fur

Federation.

 

Mr Jones said: " The cruel and exploitative practices of the fur industry

have no place in the fashion or entertainment industries, and the

promotion of these activities has no place in a publication promoting an

arts festival. "

 

He said the group's research had found that the fur industry in Asia and

beyond perpetrated atrocities on both wild and domesticated animals,

with animals crammed into tiny cages, electrocuted and sometimes skinned

alive.

 

Peta senior campaigner Ashley Fruno supported the call from the Animals

Asia group and warned yesterday that " the arts festival shouldn't be

surprised if they have protesters in bloody fur coats or nude activists

chanting `I'd rather go naked than wear fur' at their next event " .

 

The Fur Federation, which has 150 member companies, claims the festival

- supported by HK$18.6 million of public money - is the ideal channel to

promote a legitimate industry.

 

Federation manager Brenda Fung Miu-wai said representatives had talked

with festival management.

 

" We had a meeting to pass on the factual information about our industry

rather than just letting them listen to one side talking about horrible

videos, etc, " she said.

 

" I think they are neutral. They do not want to take a stand on whether

they support the fur industry and they do not want to analyse whether

the anti-fur people are speaking the truth, or if they should listen to

them telling them what to do. "

 

Ms Fung said that as far as she knew, the federation's advert would

appear in the next arts festival programme, which will be published in

December.

 

 

--

Angela Leary

Media Manager

Animals Asia Foundation

2/F, Room 04-05,

Nam Wo Hong Building

148 Wing Lok Street,

Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2791 2225

http://www.animalsasia.org/