This past Saturday, approximately 250 animal activists held a demonstration held by Fur Free West Hollywood to ban the sale of fur in its community. It would be the first city to do so in the nation. In 1989, W. Hollywood was declared a “cruelty-free zone for animals”. Since then, they have banned the declawing of cats, stopped pet stores from selling puppies from puppy mills, banned cosmetic testing on animals and steel-jaw leg hold traps. Banning fur in this community makes complete sense to me. Not only there but everywhere!
John D’Amico, who is running for city council in W. Hollywood, is supporting this cause and said publicly that he will “focus on this legislation while in office and be a continual advocate for a fur free world.”
He said that “West Hollywood has the opportunity to once again be a leader for animal welfare by becoming the first fur-free city in the nation.” D’Amico continued, “We have pledged to be a place that is free of cruelty to animals and we can no longer support the barbaric fur trade by selling the products of that cruelty in our city.”
According to Ed Buck, an organizer of the event, “West Hollywood is one of the most progressive and forward-thinking cities.” He continues, “This campaign is not just about banning fur but promoting W. Hollywood as the capital of fur free fashion.”
“I’m not aware of any location, certainly in the U.S. but probably any location anywhere that has banned the commerce of animal fur, though there was a very strong push in the entire country of Israel,” said Pierre Grzybowski of the Humane Society of the United States. He’s the manager of the group’s fur-free campaign, which investigates real fur being sold as fake fur and encourages big retailers to stop selling fur.
“I really do think it would be the first time that the sale and trade in animal fur would be prohibited anywhere in the world,” Grzybowski said.
Pierre was a guest on my tv show talking about the dog and cat fur industry in China. Pierre provided actual coats found in Reading, PA that were trimmed with dog and/or cat fur when the label specifically stated it didn’t have real fur on it.
Animals that are used for the fur trade industry are typically killed by gassing, breaking their necks or anal/vaginal electrocution so their fur won’t be ruined.
Can anyone explain the reasoning why any person in this day and age feels the need to wear fur? With technology and synthetic materials and faux fur, how can anyone justify propping up this industry that brutally kills innocent animals?