Every year more than 7 million animals are killed in fur-farming. Why do we still mistreat animals, to get their fur, in 2015? Can you imagine to live your entire life in a small cage? The animals are terrified and frustrated. We don’t need the fur. The animals do.

In the first place, fur animals, like fox and mink, are wild animals and not livestock animals like cows and sheep. Wild animals have instincts that tell them how to take care of their puppies, hunt, swim and hide from danger. They don’t have the opportunity to follow their instincts in the small cages they live in, and are often afraid and stressed. They have short and miserable lives. Mink are often killed after six months at the farm. The frustrated animals often hurt themselves by biting their skin and tails.

In the second place, fur for clothing is unnecessary. In old times, people hunted, and used the fur to stay warm, but now we can use wool, synthetics and other fabrics. Not even polar explorers use fur to keep warm today, but still a lot of people use fur clothing. Fur has been looked upon as luxury, and still many people want to wear fur to feel rich and pretty. A good alternative to a jacket with a fur collar, is a jacket with a collar made of synthetic fur.

In the third place, we often see examples of fur farmers who are not following the regulations. Every year we see new photos of fur-animals suffering because the farmers do not treat them right. Dreadful pictures from Chinese fur farms show animals skinned alive. In Norway as well, sick and injured animals don´t always get the proper medical care, and we see animals treated and killed in painful ways. This happens even though Mattilsynet checks if the farms are run according to the regulations. The inspectors often report many violations. The cages are often too small, and animals with big wounds are neglected. Big fur farms with over 50.000 animals can have as few as three employees. This makes it impossible to take good care of each animal.

So why do we still treat the animals so badly? Is our vanity more important than the animals’ well being? We don´t need their fur! Animals with wild instincts should be living free in the nature. Please don´t buy fur!