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Indulgence
If you are using animal products for a decoration, trophy, or to pamper
yourself then you are inflicting pain and suffering on another living
being just so that you can indulge yourself in something that is truly
unnecessary by all accounts.
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Unnecessary Purchases that Cause Animal Suffering
Any use of an animal product just so that someone can feel pampered
is wrong because animals endure intense suffering for a lifetime for
something that is not even necessary by anyones definition of the
word. There are many commonly used products derived from animals that
are are not needed and indulgent. These items are fur,
leather, wool, ivory,
down pillows and comforters, rabbit's foot keychains, tortoise
shell products, decorative bird feathers, exotic
animal skin (shoes, purses, belts, rugs), bees wax candles, musk
oils, caviar, bushmeat, and trophy-mounted
animal heads and bodies. Some even use tiger body
parts and bear gall bladders in medicine although no medically
proven benefit has ever been identified or alternatives exist. Another
unnecessary medicine, which causes great suffering is Premarin. This
horse urine is used by many women as an estrogen replacement, though
there are many plant-based estrogen replacements that are used with
great success.
In addition to these products being unnecessary, there are acceptable
alternatives for each of them. Examples include faux fur and pleather,
which look and feel exactly the same as real skins. Most people cannot
tell the difference between real and fake, which goes to show just
how unnecessary the animal-product is. And, most importantly, the
faux version does not cause any living sentient being to suffer.
One truely ironic and sad fact is that some people buy these animals
products because they "love" animals. They want a part of these wonderful
creatures around them, but never put thought into the fact that by
purchasing that item, they caused animal suffering.
Animals DO Feel Pain and Suffering
Some people justify using animals for human uses by believing in a
misconception that animals do not feel pain so therefore using them
for our purposes is acceptable behavior. This notion is 100% wrong
because all animals DO feel pain and suffering. They have a central
nervous system, which enables them to feel pain. In addition, animals
always yell out in pain while they are being killed which is a clear
sign of their pain.
While lobbying for better treatment of animals by animal-use industries,
Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) addressed the Senate on July 9, 2001.
Senator Byrd stated to the president, "These creatures feel; they
know pain. They suffer pain just as we humans suffer pain. Oh, these
are animals, yes. But they too feel pain."
Leather is NOT a By-Product of Beef Production
Although the leather industry claims that animals are not raised for
their hides, cows are not the only animals whose hides are used for
clothing items.1 Animals such as pigs, sheep, horses, and
deer are also used for items such as shoes, wallets, belts and coats.
Exotic animals are slaughtered for their skins as well. Some of these
animals are alligators, snakes, lizards, tigers, and seals.
The slaughter of all of these animals is painful because they are
often skinned while they are still conscious. Cattle skin accounts
for 50% of the monies collected from the slaughter of cows.2
For details about how cows are slaughtered, take a look at our farm
animals page.
Fur Farms
Most people know that fur coats are made out of animal skins. What
most don't know is the torture that the animals are put through to
make that coat and that as many as 40 animals die for one full-length
fur coat. Fur farmers want the average consumer to believe that these
animals are raised on happy little "fur farms" and they are killed
"humanely". This could not be further from the truth. The fact is
that these animals are put through a life of agony in severely confining
and uncomfortable cages. Then, they are killed in the most horrifying
ways imaginable. If you purchase a fur coat, you are directly responsible
for the pain and suffering of those lives.
There are two common statements that are often made when people are
justifying the purchase of fur. The first is that, "I know it's wrong,
but it's just so pretty." Of course it IS beautiful, but only when
it's on its original owner who was the animal that it came from. Secondly,
people say, "Well, rabbit fur is okay since there are so many of them.
They aren't endangered or anything." The reasons not to buy fur have
to do with the suffering involved, not just about preserving a species.
Rabbits feel pain and suffer just as other animals do.
Let's identify who these nameless animals are. Two of the main animals
are minks and foxes. The Coalition To Abolish Fur Trade (CAFT) states
that out of the 31 million animals killed yearly on fur farms, 26
million are mink and 4.5 million are foxes.3 Many other
animals are used as well, 250,000 chinchillas, 150,000 sables, 100,000
fitch, 100,000 raccoon dogs (a separate species from the American
raccoon), and a small number of lynxes, bobcats, and coypus are fur
farmed.4
In the wild, mink would spend a large amount of their time alone and
in the water. In these farms they spend no time alone or in water.
They are held captive in small cages, stuffed in these small areas
with several others. This environment is not compatible with mink,
it causes them great amounts of daily psychological and physical suffering.
Fur farmers inbreed the mink to produce preferred coloration. This
results in genetic problems, which are often painful. In turn, the
mink engage in self-mutilation in the form of tail biting and/or cannibalism.
Many farm-raised mink die due to stress, weather, poor sanitation,
genetic disorders, and cannibalism. This loss is deemed acceptable
for enslavers due to the cost efficiency of their concentration camp
techniques.
Foxes are doomed to a life no less agonizing. In the wild foxes roam
free. In captivity they are crammed into small cages for their entire
agonizing lives, which often leads to stress-induced cannibalism.
CAFT estimates 20% of "farmed foxes" die prematurely and 50% of that
is from cannibalism.
These creatures suffer such extreme psychological abuse that they
resort to eating their fellow foxes and mink! Imagine being held captive
in such poor conditions that you resort to eating your fellow human.
The murder of animals commercialized for fur is equally as horrendous
as their living conditions. Mink are either gassed to death, have
their necks broken or injected with poison. Chinchillas are electrocuted
through their genitalia! Foxes are usually anally electrocuted! One
member of Animal Awareness stated that after she watched the ground-breaking
documentary video The Witness, and saw the horror of anal electrocution,
she could no longer close her eyes without seeing the vision of an
animal having a piece of metal shoved in the animal's mouth and another
piece of metal shoved up his anus, then being electrocuted and convulsing
until his death. She said, "This is an image that will never leave
my mind." The Witness is an eye-opening account of why Eddie
Lama, a tough construction worker from Queens, NY became an animal
advocate. The
Witness can be purchased online at Amazon.com where it currently
has a 5-star rating.
All of this agony caused by humans, just for the indulgence of fur.
A "fashion statement" has no need to cause others pain. Any human
that would buy and wear fur should watch The Witness. They
should be forced to see the horrendous lives and deaths these animals
are doomed to before they decide to choose fur for a "fashion statement".
If there were no one to purchase the fur, there would be no more animals
killed so frivolously.
Fur Trapping
While enjoying their freedom to roam, animals are painfully trapped
in leghold traps, Conibear traps, or snares by fur trappers who use
extremely malicious tactics to abduct animals from the wild. The suffering
is made worse by the fact that these traps are left out in the wild
with no surveillance.
Since traps are indiscriminate and catch anything that steps into
it, the animals found in them are often not the type of animal that
the hunter was hoping for. These animals are referred to by trappers
as "trash" animals because they have no economic value for their skin.
These "trash" animals are often companion animals (pets), birds, as
well as other animals native to the habitat. States where trapping
is legal (Maryland, for one) do not have any laws that mandate where
traps should or should not be placed. Also, trappers do not have to
report the whereabouts or even the numbers of traps placed to any
agency. That means that traps could be anywhere, even in areas where
people hike with their dogs and ride their horses. In addition to
the many currently used traps, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands
of old unattended traps still exist in wooded and forested areas.
Leghold traps are basically metal jaws that usually trap the animal's
leg but will also snap at an animals face when they are sniffing the
bait that is in the trap. After the animal is caught, he tries to
break free. Animals are known to bite off their own limbs in their
struggle for freedom. Often they break their teeth on the trap, amputate
their paws, and break their own bones. Those that do manage to get
free are weak and are often killed by predators or die from their
injury. For the animal that cannot escape the trap, they wait in agony
for days before the trapper returns. Often these animals develop infections
or are killed by predators while they are in the trap. For the unfortunate
ones who still manage to cling to life when the trapper arrives, they
are suffocated by either having the person stomp them to death or
paddle them to death. Suffocation in this way is an extremely harrowing
way to die. A more humane death would be a gun shot, but the trappers
do not do this because they do not want to "damage" the fur.
Conibear traps or body grip traps consist of two square metal pieces
that slam down on the animals back or neck when they walk in between
them. This is supposed to kill the animals quickly, but CAFT's figures
state that only 15% of the animals caught in the trap die within a
short period of time. Other animals suffer from broken necks, broken
backs, and other injuries. These animals wait in agonizing pain for
hours or even days to be freed or to die in the same way as leghold
traps.
Snares are also used to trap animals for fur. The snare is made of
a cable in the form of a noose. If the animal enters the snare head
first, it will tighten around her neck. The more she struggles, the
tighter the noose. This will inevitably suffocate her. On the contrary,
if she enters the snare other then head first, she will suffer from
blood supply loss to the limb that is caught. This causes her to suffer
for days until she's killed by another animal or by the trapper.
These killings are not necessary! No sentient being should be put
through such pain for such a "luxury" item. People wearing fur are
wearing a sign of their own gluttony and self-indulgence. Fur should
be banned. And, if you are a Maryland resident, you have an opportunity
to help fur be banned from your state! Delegate
Barbara Frush (D) of Prince George's County introduced legislation
that would outlaw the use of steel-jawed leghold traps in Maryland
in the beginning of 2002 (House Bill 377). As reported by The Fund
for Animals, "The House Environmental Matters Committee agreed to
send this bill to summer study. Delegate Frush has committed to introduce
the bill again next year and to work with her colleagues between sessions
to strengthen support for the bill. Delegate
Hurson, Chairman of the House Environmental Matters Committee,
has signaled his support for the bill and has committed to work with
Delegate Frush to pass the bill next year." Please write to these
delegate members and the House of Delegates member from your Maryland
district to express your support for this bill. Click here to find
a delegate member by name. Click here to find out who
your Maryland elected officials are.
Civet Farming
African Civets are animals that have a natural secretion such as skunks
do. Their secretion is used to mark their territory and attract mates.
The African civet's secretion is called musk. Musk is a scent in demand
by the perfume industry worldwide. Therefore, civets are captured
from the wild and farmed by people in Africa. Civets are then held
captive for the rest of their lives in horrible conditions. Their
wooden cages are barely bigger then they are. Not until they lose
weight will they actually be able to move around in their cage. Yet,
they must stay in this cage. This is the same cage they eat, defecate,
and urinate in.
The environment the civets are kept captive in is filled with smoke
from the fires burned to keep their temperatures high for the production
of musk. Many civets die from hypothermia and suffocation by army
ants. Those that live, while being restrained, have their scent glands
(located under their tails) squeezed and drained every 9-15 days.
This process is very stressful to the civets. They are often injured
during the process with no care for their wounds.
There are many companies that use musk and synthetic forms of musk
that were formulated through painful animal experimentations. You
are urged not to purchase products containing musk and/or natural
civet. Please visit World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)
to find out more information about
cruelty endured by civets for musk production. Also find out more
about companies
that use these products and how to avoid them.
Exotic Skins
Not only are humans cutting down and taking away the environment meant
for animals in the wild, we are allowing people to kill animals such
as lions, zebras, jackals, leopards, and tigers for their skins. Large
sums of money are involved. So, to people in the "fur trade" business
these animals are worth more dead than alive. Undercover investigators
risk their lives by going into other countries to set up sting operations
in order to stop this fur trade.
Not all animals are cute and cuddly, but all animals deserve to be
free from being murdered. Snakes, lizards and other reptiles are also
killed for their skins. The death of these animals is no less painful
than the death of those killed for their fur. Endangered and illegally
poached animals account for approximately 25-30 percent of the wildlife
killed for clothing.5 According to People for The Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA), "In Africa, South American, and Asia,
animals are killed while still conscious." Gena Lee Nolin states,
"Snakes are nailed to a tree and skinned alive, crocs and 'gators
are bound and beaten to death with baseball bats". This is no way
to treat the inhabitants of the earth, especially for an unnecessary
indulgent item such as a purse, shoes, and belts.
Bushmeat
Bushmeat is the term used to describe the flesh of animals in the
wild. Animals such as monkeys, bonobos, apes, zebras, and chimpanzees
are among the wild animals hunted, killed, and eaten by people in
Africa. The World Society for Protection Of Animals (WSPA) states,
"Although ape meat represents only a small proportion of the enormous
bushmeat trade, it is the greatest threat facing chimpanzees, gorillas
and bonobos."
People that reside in the forest have eaten bushmeat for years. But,
not until recently has bushmeat been so in demand. Urbanization is
one of the main factors in the bushmeat trade increase. Loggers cut
down trees and open roads to build in the area. This enables hunters
to get deep into the forest. This easy access paves the way right
to vulnerable wild animals that are hunted and killed for their flesh.
The commercial hunters profit from the sale of these animals to the
natives, to the forestry personnel, and to export to foreign markets
such as the United States.
The consequences of bushmeat hunting are devastating. Animals that
were not on the endangered list are now becoming rare and some endangered.
The animals that were already endangered are now facing extinction.
There is also an increase in the number of apes being illegally traded.
The humans in the area are facing problems as well. Indigenous people
have to relocate due to deforestation and they also face new diseases
due to the increase of eating bushmeat. Plus, species extinction causes
a severe loss to biodiversity, which
is needed for long-term human survival.
The Ape Alliance is a coalition of organizations working to save apes
from extinction. They have a proposal for action to make this happen.
View
this proposal and find out more information on the devastation of
bushmeat.
Elephant Ivory & Skins
Unfortunately, humans desire various high priced ornaments made from
the ivory in tusks as well as boots and purses made from elephant
skins. African and Asian elephants are both hunted and killed for
this reason to the point of endangerment. People hunt and kill elephants
for one simple reason, the indulgence of humans. Poachers and game
wardens have been killed over this commodity. Poachers earn money
to hunt and kill the elephants and merchants earn money by selling
ivory products. People in the US have taken part in the perpetuation
of the ivory trade. HSUS states that, "Each year, The Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) allows the export
of ivory tusks as trophies from up to 960 African elephants from eight
countries. The United States is the major importer of elephant trophies;
hunters have imported the tusks of more than 400 elephants annually
in recent years."6
The trade of ivory is next to impossible to regulate. Past events
have proven that if even a small amount of ivory makes it to market,
the poaching of elephants increases dramatically. At one time Zambia
was a friend of the elephants. They burned their stockpile of ivory
to show their support of the ivory trade ban.7 But now,
at this time there are more stockpiles of ivory in Zambia. The Zambia
government has decided they would like to ask CITES to downgrade the
protection of elephants in Zambia. This will enable them to trade
the ivory they have stockpiled. If this does happen, it will be disastrous
for African and Asian elephants. Please visit The Humane Society of
The United States for further information on how
you can help.
The Turtle Trade
Although it is illegal to kill and trade turtles in Indonesia, it
is a huge business. The Bali government found a loophole in the law
that enables them to allow the hunt of 5,000 turtles. Plus, this law
is not regulated, therefore, many more turtles are hunted and killed
for trade.
Mainly, Green Turtles are hunted and killed for their meat and shells.
The death of hunted turtles is not quick and painless. Often, the
turtles are left to die a slow death. Many times the turtles are still
conscious while their flesh is being ripped from their shells. After
the turtles are killed, turtle shells are decorated and used for souvenirs,
while turtle meat is sold to restaurants.
For more information on the turtle trade and how you can take action
to stop the turtle trade, visit the WSPA
web site.
Animals Slaughtered for Medicine
Animals are slaughtered and/or kept captive for unsubstantiated medicinal
purposes because the trade of these bones and animal parts are worth
a great deal of money. Many people believe that these animal bones
have magical powers. Tigers are killed and their bones are sold to
make various Chinese medicines, including: tiger penis soup used as
an aphrodisiac and their eyeballs rolled into pills used to stop convulsions.8
Although there is no medical proof of tiger viscera helping anyone
with anything, it is a part of Chinese culture they refuse to give
up. This may cause the extinction of tigers. To learn more about the
trade of tiger viscera, click
here.
Bears are killed and/or kept captive for the bile in their gall bladders.
Bears are being hunted to possible extinction. As stated by WSPA,
"Their gall bladders are used for traditional Asian medicine as well
as for use in wine and shampoos. The medicines are for stomach aches,
analgesic, and other treatments. Even though there are synthetic forms
of the active ingredient in bear bile (UrsoDeoxyCholic Acid or UDCA),
bears continue to be killed. Japan is one of the largest consumers
of bear gall bladder and bile."9 Japan's captive bears
have tubes that are inserted into their gall bladders from which the
bile is painfully drained from them. These animals are kept in "bear
parks", which are of very poor quality. The cages are barely larger
then they are. Many animals are sick yet receive no veterinary care.
Bear viscera is even sold at these parks.
Not only is the slaughter of these animals unnecessary, it is illegal!
Yet they still continue to be taken from the wild and killed.
References
1 Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), Non-Leather Guide, http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/leather.htm
2 Vegetarian Times, October, 1994 "Whether Leather?" by
Lee Reilly
3 Coalition To Abolish Fur Trade (CAFT), http://www.banfur.com/farming/statistics.html
4 CAFT, http://www.banfur.com/farming/home.html
5 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), noted
by PETA as from Macauley, http://www.peta.org/mc/facts/fsveg12.html
6 Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), "Elephant
Trade Fact Sheet," http://www.hsus.org/ace/12025
7 HSUS, "Tell Zambia to Choose Elephants Over Ivory," http://www.hsus.org/ace/14171
8 The Tiger Fund, http://www.channel1.com/users/hemlock/tigerfund/PlightOfTheTiger.htm
9 World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), "The
Veterinary, Behavioural and Welfare Immplications of Bear Farming
in Asia," by Dr. Barbara Maas, Dec. 2000
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