I may be completely biased, since I'm a vegan, when it comes to talking about why people shouldn't wear an animal's fur-- but here it is.
The animal fur and leather industry is completely inhumane and disgusting with how they treat these precious animals. These animals are specifically bred all of their lives in order to be made into someone's purse, jacket, shoes, hat, scarf, etc. The most common animals that are used in this industry are foxes, cows, chinchillas, minks, raccoons, rabbits, and a big one that not many people know about-- cats and dogs! Yes-- I said it... Your cute little pet that you have at home might even have relatives somewhere in your closet!
In China, they don't even label the source of their fur and leather products... Even if they label the product with fox or mink, it could be a dog or a cat for all you know. Look at your dog and look at your cat-- now put into your head the image of thousands of dogs and cats bred for one sole purpose-- to be in someone's closet... Then think of how they're grabbed, punched, kicked, and killed. I hope that the viewers who are reading this might be convinced to not purchase fur or leather products anymore.
Another type of animal group that not many people know of are those killed for their "exotic skins." These would include; Ostrich, Alligator, Caiman, Crocodile, Eel, Elephant (this is shocking considering elephants are endangered right now!), Lizard, Python, Shark, Stingray, and Zebra skins. I knew before that alligators and ostriches were made into leathers but never once in my life did I think that even elephants were turned into leather! There are a million reasons why elephants shouldn't be hunted! It's funny because according to this company's website they say that the elephant that they obtain was a by-product. However, this is far from the truth.
According to Roje Leather Company, "We deal with reputable international partners who abide by all regulations and we never sell poached hides." I don't believe them not one bit. Elephants are endangered, with only about 350,000 remaining. Every year about 27,000 elephants get poached for their ivory which is obtained from their tusks.
Of course, I don't want to dictate anyone's life, or what they choose to wear. I would love to see people get inspired by this article and to really think about why and how wearing animal skin isn't fair or humane. Think about it if it were reversed-- what if the animals were the people, and we were the animals, and OUR skins were the ones being sold to create luxury items?
But, this doesn't mean you have to give up leather products all together... Check out a vegan leather provider for all the same styles, without the meaningless abuse.
