Fur
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1994:
While the ISO moved to accept
padded leghold traps as “humane,” a
Massachusetts judge ruled they are not on
December 27, 1993, overturning a 1989 rul-
ing by the state Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife that padded traps were not banned by
the state law that banned steel-jawed leghold
traps in 1974. “It is apparent from the opera-
tion of the Woodstream ‘soft-catch’ trap,”
Suffolk Superior Court judge Patrick King
wrote, “that it will cause injury to many ani-
mals.”
The Association for the Defence of
Animals launched the first Spanish antifur
campaign in January, responding to reports
that Spanish fur sales are sharply up in Spain
due to a 20% drop in prices. The sales
increase isn’t yet helping Spanish mink ranch-
ers, only 47 of whom remain in business,
down from circa 350 four years ago: most of
the furs are imported, mainly from China.
With the glut gradually diminishing as pelt
production drops, Spanish retail fur prices are
expected to rise 30% this fall––as Spain suffers
ongoing recession.
Association for the Protection of
Fur-Bearing Animals cofounder George
Clements has named Michelle Clausius to suc-
ceed him as executive director. Clements
remains involved with the Vancouver-based
organization as a consultant, and will manage
The Fur-Bearer Defenders, a sibling group
headquartered in Sacramento, California.
Falling world mink production has
stablized pelt prices after four years of freefall,
causing some U.S. fur farmers to intensively
breed their remaining mink––but an outbreak
of Aleutian disease in the midwest is offsetting
the birth rate. Fur farmers who attended the
International Mink Show on January 8 in
Madison, Wisconsin, were reportedly advised
to make and use formaldogen gas, a contra-
band chemical, to disinfect their cages.
Bill and Hillary Clinton posed for
photos in fur hats on January 15 at the airport
in Moscow, Russia––and then, while disre-
garding inquiries from animal protection
groups and ANIMAL PEOPLE, told the fur
trade the hats were only borrowed. They also
weren’t of Russian origin, leaving partisans in
all camps wondering just what the statement
was supposed to be, to whom.
The January 3 edition of Fur Age
Weekly admitted that acryllic faux furs account
for a growing share of retail “fur” sales––along
with shearling coats and leather goods. All
sales recorded by member furriers go into the
annual Fur Industry Council of America retail
sales estimate. Thus the estimate runs nearly
40% higher than actual fur sales. Some furri-
ers are also boosting profits via traveling sales
shows, set up in hotels and convention cen-
ters, which enable the operators to promote
with minimal overhead expense. The gim-
micks aren’t saving the industry: in January,
L’eone Furs of Garden City, Long Island,
became the second prominent New York City-
area furrier to fold in the still-young new year,
following B. Smith Furs of Manhattan. Evans
Inc., which accounts for about 10% of all U.S.
retail fur sales, meanwhile reported third quar-
ter losses, as revenue from fur merchandise
dropped 10.3%. “Total revenues for the third
quarter decreased $2.5 million (8.5%),”
shareholders were told.
