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Compassion in World Farming

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Mink Fur Farming

 

Due to campaigns by anti-fur groups including CAFT-UK the farming of animals 'solely or primarily for their fur' was banned in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 1st January 2003. Meanwhile, millions of animals continue to be killed around the world for their fur. The majority of these animals are mink, raised on fur factory farms.

Mink are wild solitary animals, whose life on fur farms is reduced by the farmer to a walking fur coat. Fur farms totally suppress any natural behavioural instincts of the mink, resulting in self-mutilation, cannibalism and psychotic behaviour.

Recommended cages sizes for mink are 38cm wide by 30.5cm high by 61cm long, but many are considerably smaller. Some have likened the floor area of the cage to the size of two shoe-boxes.These are bare wire cages, usually but not always with a wooden nest box (rarely with any straw bedding) attached. The partially webbed feet of the mink mean that walking on the coarse, wide mesh is uncomfortable; not that they can actually walk far. Cages witnesses by CAFT-UK investigators are not even high enough to allow the prisoners to stand fully upright, which mink do to sniff the air to scent prey or danger.

Mink are not domesticated animals. Mink farming was introduced to Britain in 1929, and no captive line is older than 100 years old. Compare this to the 12,000 years of domestication of the dog, or 7,000 years for the chicken, and 4,000 for the pig, and you can see why the Government's Farm Animal Welfare Council said it was "particularly concerned about the keeping of what are essentially wild animals in small barren cages." Access to water is essential for the well being of mink. In the wild they have a territory of up to 4km along a waterway, using it both for hunting prey such as fish and water fowl, and for travelling. They spend 60% of their active time in water. Access to water plays an important part in the life and development of mink. The only water mink get on fur farms is drinking water, through a rubber pipe. Even this most basic of requirements is denied by the farmers whose only motive is profit. The fur trade even has the audacity to deny that these semi-aquatic creatures need access to swimming water. Robert Morgan of the British Fur Trade Association has been quoted as saying "If mink have access to swimming water, then they would get wet and probably get cold and die".  In 1989 the Farm Animal Welfare Council pointed out that account should be taken of the need for environmental enrichment such as adequate access to water, a call echoed by the British Veterinary Association in 1995.  During a CAFT-UK investigation at a West Yorkshire mink farm, our investigators witnessed two mink that had escaped from their cages playing in a pool of water caused by a leak in the water pipe, doing what comes naturally to these semi-aquatic animals.

Mink are solitary creatures. In the wild they strongly defend their territories and only come into contact with other mink in order to mate. On the fur farm each mink is imprisoned in a row of cages. Each row may hold over 100 cages, two rows to a shed. These solitary animals are forced to live in close sight, smell and sound of thousands of others. They are often forced to live several to a cage.

It is no surprise that these conditions force the animals into displaying unnatural patterns of behaviour. As with animals confined in zoos, farmed mink display signs of psychotic behaviour, 'madness'. Virtually all the mink's activity in the wild is dictated by its requirements for survival and reproduction. Caged mink show all four of the recognised types of abnormal behaviour, such as self - injury and stereotyped behaviour (constant pacing or circling of the cage, gnawing bars, etc). Wild mink exhibit none of these. Self-mutilation is common, and according to a Government report into fur farming in the Netherlands, 10-20% of farmed mink cause injury to themselves, such as pelt and tail biting and others have put this figure as high as 30%.
Cannibalism is another common behaviour, and has been caught on film by CAFT-UK investigators.

Mink are mated in early March and litters of kits are usually born in the first two weeks of May. The level of infertility on British mink farms is high, and females reach their highest fertility at 2-3 years old. Kit mortality is high, with 9-12% being born dead or dying within 3 weeks of birth.

Back in 1989 the Farm Animal Welfare Council examined mink and fox fur farming. So concerned were they by the conditions they found that they issued a press statement to point out their disapproved of the farming. They slammed the farms for failing to "satisfy some of the most basic criteria which it has identified for protecting the welfare of farm animals".

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pamela Anderson Save the Seals Animal Collective Save the Seals Brody Jenner Save the Seals Christian Serratos Save the Seals Grace Park Save the Seals Hannah Teter Save the Seals Holly Madison Save the Seals Jayde Nicole Save the Seals Jennie Garth Save the Seals Jorja Fox Save the Seals Kelly Osbourne Save the Seals Levi Leipheimer Save the Seals Lucy Davis Save the Seals Natalie Dreyfuss Save the Seals Owain Yeoman Save the Seals Perez Hilton Save the Seals Rachael Leigh Cook Save the Seals Steve-O Save the Seals 'Sugar' Shane Mosley Save the Seals Tricia Helfer Save the Seals Mario Barth's Ink Not Mink Print PSA Karina Smirnoff: I'd Rather Dance Naked Than Wear Fur Nia Long: I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur The Women of Bluewater Comics: We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur The Women of Rick's Cabaret Would Rather Go Topless Joel Gibb of The Hidden Cameras: Canada's Club Scene Sucks Mark Ronson: If You Wouldn't Wear Your Dog … Missy Higgins: Would You Wear Your Dog? Mario: Ink Not Mink Peaches: Canada's Club Scene Sucks Jamie Bamber: Bare Skin Not Bear Skin Carey Hart: Ink Not Mink Print PSA Khloe Kardashian: I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur Print PSA Avoid Fashion That Makes Your Skin Crawl - Crocodile Print PSA Avoid Fashion That Makes Your Skin Crawl - Snake Print PSA Danity Kane: We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin (Amanda Beard) Joanna Krupa: I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur (1) Joanna Krupa: I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur (2) Joanna Krupa: I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur (3) Eva Mendes: Fur? I’d Rather Go Naked Roselyn Sanchez: I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur Jenna Jameson: Pleather Yourself Ami James: Ink Not Mink Natalie Imbruglia: "Try Telling Him..." Friday Night Lights' Aimee Teagarden: If You Wouldn't Wear Your Dog... Steve-O: I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur Holly Madison: "I always Fake It" Pamela Anderson Steve-O: Ink Not Mink Donate Your Furs Des'ree Kim Basinger: Beauty is not About Wearing Someone Else's Coat Gena Lee Nolin Exotic Skins Boss Models Bill Maher/Ellen Degeneres "If You Wouldn't Wear Your Dog ..." (Goran Visnjic) Fernanda Tavares Jenna Morasca Simple Plan- Anti-Fur Ad Persia White- Here’s the Rest of Your Coat Ad Melissa Rivers- Fake It ... Ad Todd Oldham and Kathy Najimy Christy Turlington Yana Booth- Bare Skin, Not Bear Skin Ad Donna Karan’s Killer Look Dear Beyoncé Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin (Vanessa Olivarez) "Hands Off The Buns!" (Imogen Bailey) Ink, Not Mink! "Rather Go Naked" (Jenna Morasca/Ethan Zohn) Kristoff St. John— "Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin" Amy Sedaris— "What Becomes a Loser Most" Dennis Rodman— "Think Ink, Not Mink" David Cross— "Wear Your Own Fur" Anna Nicole Smith— "Gentleman Prefer Fur-Free Blondes" Charlize Theron— "If You Wouldn’t Wear Your Dog..." Simon Cowell J Lo Peaches Garbage’s Shirley Manson/‘Here’s the Rest of Your Fur Coat’ Surya Bonaly: Stop the Canadian Seal Hunt Surya Bonaly: Stop the Canadian Seal Hunt (bloody) Playboy’s Holly Madison Drill Sergeant & Playboy Model Michelle Manhart Annalise Braakensiek: Save The Sheep Leather=Dead Skin Dominique Swain These Babies Miss Their Mothers Sophie Ellis Bextor: Here's the Rest of Your Fur Coat Nicholas Gonzalez Christina Applegate: Fur-get Me Not Mola Only 29 More... Charlotte Ross Charlotte Ross

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dancing bears

WSPA-funded research suggests approximately 150 bears in India are currently living out their days dragged from village to village ‘dancing’ for audiences.

This number had dropped from 400 in recent years, but the remaining bears are enduring a lifetime of physical and mental distress. Illegally poached as cubs, even their most basic needs, such as adequate nutrition, are not met.

Each young bear will suffer the piercing of their nose or palate. A rope is passed through the raw wound. Tugging on it remains an effective means of control throughout the bear’s life.

Years of conditioning allows owners to make adult bears ‘dance’ on command.

Illegal and inhumane, yet the dancing continues

The Kalandars – India’s traditional dancing bear owners – use the bear shows to support large family groups. The profession is historically passed from father to son, so other opportunities are not often considered.

Public campaigning against the practice has significantly reduced the number of dancing bears on India’s main tourist trails. But the semi-nomadic Kalandars have taken their shows to more receptive areas.

The capture and keeping of bears is prohibited, yet dancing bear shows find rural audiences. People in these areas, where animal welfare education is rare, are unlikely to report dancing bears to the authorities.

Forestry officials may be prevented from enforcing animal protection laws due to a lack of facilities to house confiscated animals.

Stamping out cruelty

WSPA is working with the Wildlife Trust of India to tackle both the root and result of the problem, by:

• Running welfare awareness programs to educate the public
• Running law enforcement activities to prevent cubs being poached
• Striving to ensure that suitable lifetime care is provided for confiscated bears
• Helping the bear owners to find new, cruelty-free ways to earn a living.

Please support us. With your help, WSPA can prevent more animals from living miserable and painful lives.

Visit the Integrated Sloth Bear Conservation and Welfare Project website for more information about WSPA’s work with WTI.

 

 

 

 

 

An international problem

Until recently, bears were also used in Europe for this purpose. Bulgaria was the last country in Europe to use dancing bears. As in India, the occupation was a tradition of nomadic tribes, in this case the Roma (Gypsies). The last three dancing bears in Bulgaria were surrendered to a sanctuary in June 2007. However, in spite of the European law against the trade, several incidents were reported in Spain in 2007.

The dancing bears of India are primarily under the control of a nomadic people known as the Kalandar (or Qalandar), who come from a line of tribesmen who once entertained northern India’s Mughal emperors with trained-animal acts. Thus, working with animals for entertainment is the traditional livelihood of the tribe, whose people also have sidelines selling animal parts as medicines (see the Advocacy for Animals article) and good-luck charms.

The Kalandar are recognized by the Indian government as an economically deprived tribe, although efforts to help them have been few. Investigators from international animal-welfare organizations are working with them and are helping them obtain better economic conditions. Programs have been established by cooperating national and international organizations—such as Wildlife S.O.S. and International Animal Rescue—that are aimed at helping the bears and helping the Kalandar. They seek to persuade the people that a livelihood that uses animals for entertainment is not sustainable. For example, the acquisition of a bear is a source of pride and prestige, but bears are expensive and the mortality rate is high, especially in the first three years of a bear’s life.

Treatment of Bears

The bears are poached from the wild as cubs, an act that often necessitates killing the mother first. Some cubs, traumatized, die of shock. Others succumb to neglect or dehydration. Survivors are sold to trainers, who use sticks and physical threats to teach the orphaned cubs to stand, move on their hind legs, and perform other tricks. The cubs’ teeth are often knocked out or broken for the safety of humans; their nails are clipped short or removed (both of which are painful to bears); and a hot poker or piece of metal is run through the snout or lip to make a permanent hole through which a rope is anchored to control the bear. All of this is done without anesthesia. The trainers make the bears move by pulling on the rope, which causes great pain, and beating the bears if they do not obey. The owners, being poor themselves, cannot feed the bears a nutritionally sound diet even if they want to, and many bears lose their fur or suffer from cataracts and go blind.

The behavior that audiences are encouraged to interpret as “dancing” is the product of aversive training. The Roma training method involved greasing the bears’ paws and having them stand on hot plates while music played; the bears hopped on the plates to avoid the burning pain, which became associated in their minds with the sound of the music. Eventually, just hearing the music caused the bears to repeat this “dancing” movement.

Efforts to stop the exploitation of bears

Bear dancing was outlawed by the Indian government in 1972. The practice has continued, however, partly because the Kalandar had no alternative and also because, until the early 21st century, there was no place to put confiscated bears; enforcement was therefore somewhat pointless. Special licenses were granted to the Kalandar so they could continue, while a bear sanctuary at Agra was created by Wildlife SOS.

Although it is difficult to abandon long-held cultural and economic practices, the Kalandar have been willing to do so, provided that they are given the help they need to make a new start. In exchange for the bears, the Kalandar are given job training and equipment for alternative occupations, such as welding and the manufacture of useful products such as soap and incense. Some run small stalls and shops.

The first group of some two dozen rescued bears went to the Agra sanctuary in 2002. Since then more than 465 bears have gone to that facility and two others—one in Bannerghatta, near Bangalore, and another in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh state. The Agra Bear Rescue Facility is managed by Wildlife S.O.S., under the overall supervision of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. International Animal Rescue is committed to providing long-term funding for the running costs of the sanctuary.

The rescued bears are first quarantined and given medical care. Once they are healthy enough to undergo the surgery, the ropes are removed from their noses—which are usually badly infected and bleeding. The sanctuaries provide environmental stimulation as well, including dens and swimming pools in which to cool off.

When dancing bears are saved from indentured servitude to regain their health and freedom, both the bears and their rescuers experience great relief. Alan Knight, CEO of International Animal Rescue, says, “We started with six frightened and traumatized bears….  When we removed the ropes their first reaction was bewilderment and fear.  There will always be a special place in our hearts for those first bears we took in.  Since those early days we have expanded the sanctuary and now we have more than 100 acres where the bears can roam freely and leave behind the pain and trauma of their lives on the streets.”

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• Oil may escape from ships through accidents or through deliberate dumping.
• Every year, more than 300 000 birds are killed by oil off the south coast of the island of Newfoundland alone.
• Many oiled birds that wash ashore must be humanely killed, because cleaning oiled birds is largely ineffective. The wrecked super-tanker, spewing a black tide of oil, has become a powerful symbol of ocean pollution and of humans’ destruction of the natural environment. So have the dying seabirds that strand on the beach, black with oil. Once the bird is touched by oil, its body heat drains away through the “tear” in its protective plumage. The bird tries to maintain its body temperature by burning its energy reserves stored as body fat, but these are soon exhausted.  It may also try to save itself by spending even more energy in search of food. In this pursuit it is handicapped by its extra burden of soaked feathers and weakness, and the exhausted bird will soon die. In the cold waters around the coasts of Canada, hypothermia is usually the cause of death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PLEASE NOTE:

I DO NOT SUPPORT VIOLENCE OR  INTERROGATION ON ANY MEDICAL STAFF MEMBERS.  'MY SHOW' IS PEACEFUL AND SWAYS TOWARDS FASHION, COSMETIC AND IMAGE.  I WANT TO SHOW A  HUMANE PATHWAY FOR ANIMAL KIND.