Perhaps they do not hunt animals to extinction - but is life really worth living in a small cage? I find their arguments ridiculous, if they're doing the animals such a great favor, how about stuffing your own kid or sister into a small cage, abuse her all her life, kill her in the most horrendous way and then eat her and use her skin as a coat...??? Let's not forget that human beings are animals too - of the most selfish kind....

Posted by: Henriette | August 31, 2007 10:01 AM

Time to start attracting new industry! Industries do die out and local government starts looking at strategies to keep the population working. It's not a new problem, and not a problem specific to the fur trade either.

Posted by: Olivia Meow | August 31, 2007 10:03 AM

As someone who grew up in Canada I have perhaps a different perspective on this issue.
While I would never wear fur myself, I do accept that some people will.
As for attracting new industries- this is very naive. Many fur farmers live in remote, northern areas. Living in England you really can have no concept of how remote these people are- thousands of miles from anything. What industry do you think would hire one person living miles away from anyone else?
Also, it must be taken into account that many fur farmers are Native People, who consider fur as part of their culture.
Finally, do you eat meat or wear leather? Many animals raised for meat live in very poor conditions, as bad as any at a fur farm.

Posted by: Louise | August 31, 2007 1:32 PM

It is naive to think that for remote, native farmers, trapping or raising animals for fur to sell to rich women is "part of their culture."

I don't eat meat OR wear leather, I'm vegan, however I don't begrudge people that do. Eating meat and wearing leather is a lot harder to cut out than fur, and besides, there's nothing wrong with making changes gradually or just doing what you can. That kind of all or nothing mentality does not help animals any.

Posted by: Olivia | August 31, 2007 5:35 PM

the slave trade once put food on peoples table as did sending children into mines and up chimneys does that make it right?

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. There are other ways to make a living and as in the cases I stated above we realise those things are wrong and so we change them

Posted by: Dee | August 31, 2007 6:20 PM

I have never and will never wear fur. However, I do eat meat and I try as much as possible to buy free-range produce. There are many places in Australia where the animals have a lot of land in which to roam and run about in. For me, its enough to know that the meat i eat comes from an animal that had a happy life and was killed in a painless and human manner.

Posted by: Desert | September 4, 2007 4:08 AM