Is it right to wear the fur of animals that have been culled to preserve other species?

Question

I read a craft/fashion magazine and a recent issue backed an anti-fur campaign and promoted totally synthetic products that give a furry effect and don't harm animals. Now though, there is an ad in there by a company which uses possum fur in its products and says it is ok because they are culled to protect other animals that are being endangered by them, plus the WWF is backing possum culling. Is the mag contradicting itself here or is this kind of fur-wearing ok? I don't think it is right myself but what are your views?

Answer 1

If you were living in the artic without a coat you would definatley wear fur believe me.

Answer 2

Fur is a personal choice. I feel if an animal is used for food, then it should be used for it maximum possibilities such as leather and suede. Preserving wildlife that is endangered by culling animals that are abundant and jeopardizing the future of said animal. Well it is survival of the fittest. But sometime mother nature needs a helping hand to equal out the imbalance. Threatened animals may not bread as fast as their enemy and in that case , the animal should not be killed in vain but have some use after death, especially if the fur sold is then funds are put back into preservation. I will not wear fur, but I can see both sides to the story.

Answer 3

The only reason WWF is backing possum culling is becase of the damage they are doing to other species. A cull is only performed on a periodic basis when a single species gets out of control for its environment.

To wear possum fur would encourage the killing of possums for reasons other than the protection of the environment and may in fact cause the species to decline - having a knock on effect on other species in the ecosystem.

I think wearing fur of any kind is abhorrent unless you're an Inuit (eskimo) and you need it to keep warm.

Answer 4

Personally I dont agree with wearing fur, what people dont tend to realise is that most fur that is used for clothes in the world comes from china who also have some of the worst possible animal conditions in the world. Despite a coat or scarf saying that it is fur from rabbits or possum it often isnt the case, when they are shipped out they are mostly mislabelled and the fur you are actually buying is often from dogs and cats as well as bears. The way in which these animals are killed for their fur is disgusting, small animals are often skinned alive while being held up by their legs, they are then tossed aside to die in a slow and unbearable way. Cats are often boiled alive which according to the skinners makes the fur come loose and easier to remove. Fur is not a by product, animals are killed just for the fur and more times then you realise it is fur from the same animals we all have as pets.

Answer 5

I would personally think of it as something you shouldn't do. If you are culling animals to help endangered species, then you shouldn't be buying their fur. Consider this: You are being culled so that the endangered species could live and the possums are wearing our skin. Would you think it's fair? Of course not!

Answer 6

Wearing any kind of fur even if culled for any reason is not correct. Wearing fur will further increase demand and people will start killing for selling and all scientific reasononig of culling animals are forgoton.

When we wear fur we donot know how it has been obtained. Will you be sure that the animal was killed for saving other species or were they killed for money. We are losing species very fast and wearing fur or any animal part should be stopped.

Answer 7

I assume the possum fur is from New Zealand:

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosecurity/biocontrolpossums/

It looks like the possums are exotic and invasive, and causing some real problems. I think the logic is sound - if killing these possums is the right thing to do for the ecosystem, then getting all the use out of them that we can is also the right thing to do.

Answer 8

My friend who is from New Zealand has some possum socks. She told me that possums are vermin and case lots of damage to houses etc.

If the animal has been killed for another reason and not breed just for its fur then you might as well use its fur.

Lots of people wear leather shoes, but in most cases the animal has been killed for meat not for the skin to make the shoes.

Answer 9

I think if you are going to kill an animal, it should be for food purposes. Maybe a long time ago, they needed to fur off animals to keep warm, but nowadays we have other options. So yeah, unless someone ate those 112 minks, then I think it's wrong. Now, if you kill, say a cow for food then I think that the hide should be turned into something useful, rather than wasted. If you kill an animal, you should be using every part of it.

Answer 10

I eat meat. I wear leather (shoes and coat - not kinky fetishwear, at least not all the time). Providing the meat and skin doesn't come from an endangered animal, or the scale of the slaughter is such that it will destabilise the local environment, how can I object to wearing fur?

Surely, if you eat meat and/or wear leather, it is hypocrisy to object to wearing fur (if the above provisos are observed).