My faux fur may be real, from real animals. I’m not sure what the trim on my coat is, despite the label. Much of the supposedly faux fur we wear in good conscience is actually taken from raccoon dogs (see picture below), rabbits, and other animals. Yes, mislabeling fur is against federal law. Yet, the Humane Society of the U.S. and New York Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal discovered this common practice with their undercover probe.
Most of the fur is coming from China, the world’s largest source for fur. Producers there obtain the fur by beating, strangling, or electrocuting many of the animals to kill them. Still others, they simply skin alive.
If you, like me, abhor cruelty to animals, especially to feed the vanity of humans, avoid buying any fur, whether it’s marked “faux” or not. As for me, I’ve removed the strip of questionable fur from my coat and will encourage my friends to do the same.
