All around the world, cruelty is taking place upon animals; one act in particular is the skinning of their fur. Animal skinning is particularly practiced in regions of China and South Africa. China arises more superior to where the most brutal of skinning takes place, making it the biggest fur exporter. As declared in the article “Animal Rights Action” by Susan Donaldson, an animal rights activist, “…other countries often import fur from China because they are able to purchase it cheaply there. Unfortunately, there are no laws protecting animals from horrifyingly cruel treatment in China and these fur farms make the most of this.” Among this tragedy it’s a shame that even the Chinese government knows about the actions of their citizens and have yet  put a stop to them. It truly is saddening looking back on how many people actually condone in such an act. As being a part of the United States, we all must take a stand together and let our voices be heard to stop such an inhumane act.

Animal skinning is exactly as it sounds; it’s the act where one forcefully makes an incision with a knife or saw into an animal’s body and then carefully peels back their skin making sure it doesn’t rip or tear. Whether the animal is dead or alive they are skinned regardless. The reason for that is because it is easier to take the fur off of a live animal because their blood flow is still streaming through their veins, making the fur easier to pull. In China, all animals imaginable are used for skinning, even cats and dogs that were once household pets that were simply taken away from their homes and forced to fight for their lives in confined cages at animal farms. According to the well known organization PETA, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, they state that in their article entitled“A Shocking Look inside Chinese Animal Fur Farms”that “Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground; workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken bones and convulsions but not always immediate death.” Shortly after, the fur is then cleaned off and prepared for sale while the animal the fur belonged to suffers on the farm floor bleeding from all areas of the body.

There are many ways we can take action and stop the animal skinning industry. The fur of animals shouldn’t be an article of clothing when it rightfully belongs to the body it was taken from. As far as keeping warm, you can substitute fur for wool or cotton. Convincing society to frown upon fur coats is another way to lessen the act of animal skinning. If people start viewing animal fur clothing as wrong and inhumane, there will be a great decline in demand for that. It is key that we voice our feelings upon this issue to our neighboring countries to persuade them not to import fur. If they were to wear a cat, dog, or chinchillas as a coat, can you imagine how they’d feel relating it back to their own household pets? Animals cannot take action to stop this, so it is our job to do so. We must come together and stop animal skinning now!