Have you ever imagined that one day, your skin is peeled off by the others intentionally? Actually, over the century, there has been a prevailing wind of using animal fur in the fashion industry around the globe. Hooded jackets, shoes and gloves are only a few items on the list of animal fur products. As a result, according to Human Society International report 2019, one hundred million animals are bred and murdered intensively each year to support the industry. In pursuit of protecting the animal rights and preserving the nature, this essay argues that the fur industry should be put in a halt, because it puts the environment in jeopardy, it is cruel to the animals and it is unnecessary to sacrifice their lives for manufacturing clothes anymore.
To begin with, the fur farms impose devastating impacts to nature. Nearly purely relying on the use of fossil fuels, fur farming produces countless of greenhouse gases (GHGs), intensifying greenhouse effect. For example, 110 kilograms of carbon dioxide is emitted in manufacturing one kilogram of mink fur, which is adequate for driving from Saint John to Toronto. Worse still, there is also an incredibly giant amount of feed to be prepared so that the animals could grow as large as possible. Just for a mink, it needs around 50 kg of feed in its lifetime and to produce only 1 kg of fur, more than 11 minks are slaughtered. It is foreseeable that how much energy is consumed to rear them and sustain the whole industry. On top of that, during the preparation process of the fur, hazardous chemicals such as alkylphenol ethoxylates, chromium vi are used to preserve and dye the fur. Nevertheless, they can be accumulated in the environment, and be toxic to the marine life even in a low level of concentration , posing threats to the ecosystem. Hence, it is crystal clear that the fur industry should be banned in order to shield the environment from the severe pollution problems.
Moreover, apart from ecological threats, killing animals for fur is exceptionally inhumane. In terms of the ways of keeping these little creatures in fur farms, for most of the time, they are being tortured, bled to death and even confined to cramped cages, which has led to an array of untreated and serious injuries. For instance, one badger’s leg was bitten off by another badger in the same packed, barren, wire cage. Other than that, in hopes of getting an enormous piece of fur, these innocent creatures have become unreasonably obese by medication. In Finland a farmed blue fox is triple times more than the normal average weight, giving rise to various health problems. Furthermore, skinning begins before the animals are slaughtered. Witnessing the knife slowly approaching, they struggle, scream and yell hopelessly as well as helplessly until the last breath. It is without any doubts that the fur industry has been inflicting horrendous harm and pain to these miserable critters, and their rights of living in the wild freely is exploited, simply for satisfying our needs. Such a savage act is unbearable in any civilized society.
However, is there really a need of using the fur products now? It is undeniable that fur animal fur is thick, which provides you warmth under cold conditions. During ancient times, people would also do the same owing to insufficient resources at that time. Nonetheless, with the advancement and innovation in technology nowadays, there have been some alternatives to the animal fur. For instance, synthetic fabrics composed by polyester and nylon, heattech can also keep people comfortable and warm. Apart from that, what makes people become so obsessed with animal fur is that it represents affluence and status in the society. While actually, it should not be a valid reason to preserve the fur industry due to the emerge of faux, which looks like real fur without causing unnecessary hurt to the piteous creatures on earth. Animal- free leather is extensively adopted in fashion industry, ranging from grand fashion brands such as Zara and Top Shop to renowned fashion designers like Stella McCartney . Thus, is it still necessary to put on the animal fur on one’s body? Is it really necessary to become an animal butcher in order to pursuit a sense of superiority while there are other better choices? Every life has equal value, these pathetic critters also deserve a chance to live joyfully.
It is a heartbroken news that the fur industry is still playing a dominant role in the globe, and it seems that nothing influential can really be acted to offer a helping hand to these mournful lives. Luckily, the world starts to awake from the illusions brought by animal fur and begins to look at the entire situation by signing petitions, launching protests and so on. Success cannot be achieved in one day by only a small group of people. it is believed that once everyone unites, having a strong determination, these animals could surely be saved from the dark.
