3rd Annual “Fur for the Animals” to Help Injured and Orphaned Wildlife – Donate Your Fur!

More than 800 fur items, worth an estimated $1.5 million and representing approximately 26,000 animals killed, have been donated and distributed to wildlife rehabilitation centers across U.S.

The 3rd Annual “Fur for the Animals” has launched today and will run through December 31st, according to Born Free USA.    The campaign is a donation drive aiming to collect fur coats, hats, and other items made out of fur.    After the donations are collected,  they will be sent to wildlife rehabilitation and rescue centers across the nation who will then use the fur to provide familiar comfort, warmth, and bedding to the injured, orphaned, and sick wildlife in their care.

Born Free wants to reduce the supply, demand, and social acceptance of fur in fashion.   The cycle of the fur industry from trapping to the retail stores who sell the fur is a vicious one but it is the goal of this organization to end it.   Their message is that fur belongs on animals and not to fashion.    They want to take these furs out of circulation and put them to good use by giving it back to fur-bearing wildlife.

“In the year 2000, there were only 41 designers using fur in ready-to-wear.”  The reason for this small number had to do in part by PETA who ran a campaign by models and celebrities who posed nude saying, “They’re rather go naked than wear fur.”   It worked for quite awhile in the 90’s and the tide appeared to turn against wearing fur.    But, there has been a shift toward wearing fur again in the fashion industry.   In 2015,  over 500 designers used or are experimenting with fur in their fashion lines.

We also can’t escape the fact that recent pop culture has played a role in celebrities, singers, and reality stars influence the wearing of fur.   From Beyonce’ wearing fur coats to mink lashes, Kim Kardashian wearing fur along with her daughter wearing it,  Kanye West’s “fashion line,” and I use that term loosely, continually utilizes fur in his collection to Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and reality “stars,”  the impact from pop culture can’t be denied or overlooked.   They make it seem appealing to their fans.

Lady Gaga’s fans were outraged over comments she made about fur.  She called animal activists childish when they “slammed” her for her approval of wearing fur.   Gaga said,   ‘I have truly always stayed away from skinned fur, especially I have never been able to afford a nice one, but this does not mean my morals are rigid and that I won’t bend at the sight of an absolute art piece of a coat. I have no chains about this. ‘

‘You see a carcass, I see a museum pièce de résistance.’     Her words are quite clear where she stands.   It’s sad these celebrities are unable to link the massive cruelty inflicted upon animals for the fur items they wear or used in the fur industry.   Some goes as far as saying that animals are treated humanely at fur farms.

The “Fur for Animals” campaign which began in 2014 has collected over 800 fur items worth at least $1.5 million.  What’s even more astonishing is the approximately 26,000 animals who were killed for these donated items, according to Born Free.

Once collected, Born Free USA will continue to send the fur to wildlife rehabilitation centers and sanctuaries, including: The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center (Ramona, CA), Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (Kendalia, TX), Blue Ridge Wildlife Center (Boyce, VA), and Born Free USA’s newest campaign partners: OPR Coastal Primate Sanctuary (Longview, WA), Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch (Murchison, TX), and Wild Animal Sanctuary (Keenesburg, CO). For a full list of partners, visit www.bornfreeusa.org/furdrive. Additional wildlife rehabilitation partners are welcome, and they can learn more by contacting info@bornfreeusa.org.  

During the donation drive, fur donations can be dropped off in person (10:00AM-4:00PM, Monday through Friday) or shipped to our office:

Born Free USA
2300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 100B
Washington, D.C. 20007

Born Free USA commends the growing number of fashion retailers vowing to go fur free.  In March 2016, Giorgio Armani announced it will be removing animal fur from its collections beginning with its Fall/Winter 2016 line. Armani has joined such brands as Hugo Boss, H&M, Steve Madden, Marks & Spencer, Topshop, and Zara. For a full list of fur free fashion retailers, click here.    

“Fur comes only from misery and death, and the demand feeds a barbaric and cruel industry. The fur that has come to our office over the past three years came from tens of thousands of animals who all suffered tremendously,” explains Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA. 

Born Free USA works as part of the Fur Free Alliance to contact and encourage retailers to join the Fur Free Retailer program – Hugo Boss and Armani are the best, recent examples of this. Their decisions came after the Fur Free Alliance contacted them and initiated months of discussions.

 However, there are also retailers who either already are fur-free or mostly fur-free who contact us proactively through the Fur Free Retailer program who want to join to become officially Fur-free in writing, according to Rodi Rosensweig, spokesperson for Born Free USA.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer and animal advocate.   She hosts the show,  ” A Close-Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.”      Have a story, please email Tina at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.  Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues and check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com for all the tv shows you may have missed!