Exposing the Big Game

Forget Hunters' Feeble Rationalizations and Trust Your Gut Feelings: Making Sport of Killing Is Not Healthy Human Behavior

Exposing the Big Game

Tag Archives: mink

Dutch govt orders culling of 10,000 mink to prevent spread of coronavirus

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https://theprint.in/world/dutch-govt-orders-culling-of-10000-mink-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus/437466/

In May, WHO had identified possible animal-to-human transmission of Covid-19 from the Dutch mink to their farmers. This was the first instance of such a transmission.

 7 June, 2020 7:56 pm IST
A mink | Photo: Jens Schlueter| DDP/AFP/Getty Images via Bloomberg
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New Delhi: Mink farms in the Netherlands have commenced a government-ordered culling of around 10,000 mink across the country over concerns that the animals infected with coronavirus could transmit the infection to humans, reports The Guardian.

According to the Netherlands Food & Wares Authority, mink infected with Covid-19 have been found on 10 Dutch farms. The authority’s spokesperson Frederique Hermie said, “All mink breeding farms where there is an infection will be cleared, and farms, where there are no infections, won’t be.”

The initial infection was reported in two farms near the city of Eindhoven, where the disease was discovered in April among mink that are bred for their valuable fur.

Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten said two workers likely contracted Covid-19 on a mink farm while stressing that the risk of further spread of the coronavirus from the mink to humans remains low.

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The culling of mink involves farmworkers in protective gear using gas on mink. The bodies of the mink will be sent to the disposal plant after which the farms will be disinfected.

Rights groups call for end to mink fur trade

Animal rights groups opposed to mink fur trade said the outbreak is another reason to close all farms.

“We are calling for the 24 countries around the world that still allow mink farming to very rapidly evaluate the situation and evidence coming out of the Netherlands,” said Claire Bass, executive director of the Humane Society International.

China, Denmark and Poland are the largest mink fur producers across the world. According to the Dutch Federation of Pelt Farmers, there are 140 mink farms in the Netherlands, exporting $146 million worth of fur every year.

In 2013, the Dutch Parliament had ordered the closure of all mink farms by 2024. Slovenia and Serbia have also passed legislation to ban all fur farming in the country. Countries like Norway and the UK have already banned mink farming for fur. The state of California in the US has banned the sale and manufacture of all fur products.

Also read: How coronavirus, bird flu and rumours to stay off non-veg hit poultry industry hard in India

Other animals culled due to Covid fears

The Dutch mink are not the only animals to have been eliminated due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meat processing plants and hatcheries, across the world, have been forced to kill birds due to shut down and lack of business.

ThePrint had earlier reported that Covid-related rumours had led to a huge loss to poultry businesses, which forced farmers to kill their birds or abandon them.

Due to the dip in business, poultry farmers have been finding it difficult to sustain their existing stock with the rising fodder and other maintenance-related costs.

Several other animals have also been reportedly infected by Covid-19. On 4 June, a dog was reportedly infected with coronavirus in the US. The disease has also been spotted in tigers, lions and cats. Also, early reports of animal-to-human transmission in China in February had led to cats and dogs being abandoned in Wuhan.

Solidarity bring bill to ban fur farming

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Irish Council Against Blood Sports ICABS

Ireland, Ireland

 

JUL 19, 2018 — “https://www.change.org/p/1753085/u/23032726?utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_campaign=382004&sfmc_tk=r%2ff4W2iW7iRcZhCc4lpkbASvtXo40j1uSOXag2FRLd3grPSaJZ5UkLMB8X1vy9O3&j=382004&sfmc_sub=140542604&l=32_HTML&u=64667104&mid=7259882&jb=12

Those animals shouldn’t have to endure one more day of the hell on earth that is fur farming” – read John Fitzgerald’s Letter to the Editor in today’s Irish Examiner…

Solidarity bring bill to ban fur farming
Irish Examiner, 19 July 2018

Fair play to the Solidarity party for preparing a bill to ban the cruel practice of fur farming in Ireland. The bill will be introduced in the Dáil after the summer recess.

More than 200,000 mink are killed on Irish fur farms every year and their treatment cannot reasonably be likened to that of conventional farm livestock. These are wild animals, inherently unsuited to captivity, let alone to being confined in small spaces for their short lives. The cages that hold them are each about the size of two shoe boxes.

Though semi-aquatic by nature they are denied a watery environment on the farms. Their captors feed them on bits of liquidised fish organs, which they have to “earn” by licking at these through the tops of their cages.

Mink are solitary creatures in the wild whereas on the farms they are forced to mingle and co-exist with other mink. They react against these cruel and deviant conditions by indulging in repeated self-harm and cannibalism, while also suffering from extreme levels of stress as they struggle in vain to escape.

At the age of six months, they are taken from their cages for slaughter. Up to 40 mink at a time are squeezed into the killing box, and gassed to death by carbon monoxide. The skin is then ripped from their bodies. Some mink are still alive and unconscious when removed from the box and have to be “dispatched” before skinning. This is definitely not a humane farming practice. It came close to being banned in 2010 but the legislation didn’t go through owing to the collapse of the Fianna Fáil/Green Party coalition.

We earnestly appeal to the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to respond to the Solidarity bill by putting an immediate end to this practice.

Those animals shouldn’t have to endure one more day of the hell on earth that is fur farming.

John Fitzgerald
(Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports)
Callan, Co Kilkenny

__________________________

ICABS ACTION ALERT

Please contact your TDs and urge them to support the upcoming Solidarity bill to ban fur farming. Contact details for TDs can be found at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32 Also contact the political parties to urge them to back the bill – find contact details at http://www.banbloodsports.com/parties.htm

Join us in urging Minister Michael Creed and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to put in place a long overdue ban on fur farming.

Email “Ban fur farming NOW” to Leo.Varadkar@oir.ie, michael.creed@oir.ie, taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, AnimalHealthAndWelfareAct@agriculture.gov.ie

Tel: +353 (0)1 6194000 (Leo Varadkar)
Tel: 01-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510 (Michael Creed)
Tweet: @campaignforleo @creedcnw Ban fur farming NOW
Comment on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/
https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd

VIDEOS

ICABS footage – Victims of Ireland’s cruel far farming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=artr7qwCLLk&index=2&list=PL43C1F00F38986C68

NARA footage showing caged mink in a fur farm in Donegal
https://www.facebook.com/NARAcampaignsIRELAND/videos/1694193503937318/

Mink pulled from cages and thrown into gassing box
https://youtu.be/m52k4aPXahU?t=3m6s

Shocking video shows fox cubs being raised in cramped cages on a fur farm before being ELECTROCUTED to be made into coats

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Over 110,000,000 animals are killed on fur farms every year according to Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal protection charity
It placed hidden cameras on a Polish fur farm to give insight into the fur trade
The film follows the short lives of three fox cubs named Borys, Eryk and Aleska
Almost £4.5million of fur products were imported to the UK from Poland in 2016

Shocking footage shows arctic foxes being raised from cubs in cramped cages before they are electrocuted to death at seven-months-old for the fur trade.
Over 110,000,000 animals are killed on fur farms every year according to Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal protection charity.
The organisation placed hidden cameras on a Polish fur farm to give a rare insight into the fur trade.
The film, called A Lifetime, follows the lives of a family of foxes, focusing on three cubs named Borys, Eryk and Aleska.

Throughout the video, the cubs are kept in a small wire cage until the day of their death.
The video starts as the cubs are nursed by their mother and baby Aleska takes her first halting steps.
After a few weeks their mother is removed and the growing cubs explore their small world and play together.

As their coats change to the thick white fur that should protect them through the winter months, their days are numbered.
At less than 7 months of age, Borys and Eryk are dragged from their cage by their tails, hung upside down, and electrocuted.
Aleska can only watch on as her terrified brothers are killed in front of her.

Aleska will be used to produce next year’s babies for the fur trade.
Actress Joanna Lumley, who supports the campaign, said: ‘Be comfortable in your own skin, and not that of a poor defenceless animal caged and killed to provide it. Say no to fur and yes to helping these fashion victims. Please help ADI stop this brutal trade.’
The UK trade information database shows that almost £4.5 million worth of fur products were imported into the UK from Poland in 2016.
Europe-wide exports value over €994 million, with Italy, Greece, France, Germany and the UK reporting the highest export value.
Despite a ban on fur farms, the UK is one of the largest exporters of fur in Europe, exporting over €25 million pounds worth of garments per year.
The UK imported over £4.5 million worth of fur skins, and clothing items from China in 2016.

http://www.ad-international.org/fur/go.php?id=4440&ssi=19

Animal Defenders International
Millbank Tower, Millbank
LONDON, SW1P 4QP, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7630 3340

PETA Exposé Shows How a Fur Farmer Kills and Skins Mink

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wikimedia commons

http://www.peta.org/blog/the-truth-about-fur-the-harsh-reality-of-mink-farming/

Written by PETA | February 18, 2015

All around the world at fur farms like this one, minks—as well as rabbits, foxes, and other animals—are crammed into barren cages and have the skin ripped off their bodies, all to make fur coats, collars, and trinkets. Fur farmers use the cheapest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, poison, and gas. At this farm, minks are picked up by their sensitive tails and shoved into a box to be gassed. One mink in this video- like many animals killed for their fur- doesn’t die immediately. The farmer then tried to break his neck against the side of his crude wooden “kill box.”

The fur industry would have you believe that fashion justifies such torture, but there’s never any excuse for such barbaric treatment of animals. The farmer in this video casually described the techniques for ripping the bloody pelts off minks’ bodies, snapping the animals’ penis bones and using old pruning shears to cut off their paws.

Do you have friends or family members who still think that fur is in fashion? Remind them that in some countries, even cats and dogs are skinned alive for their fur, which is then mislabeled and sold to unsuspecting consumers in countries all over the world.

Share this video and encourage them to choose only animal-friendly clothing. Join PETA in the fight to help minks and other animals used for fur.

Bad luck, celebs, you won’t be allowed into Mahiki if you’re wearing fur

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http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/bad-luck-celebs-you-wont-be-allowed-into-mahiki-if-youre-wearing-fur-9154295.html

Real or fake: staff at Mahiki will be trained to spot if visitors such as Rita Ora, Rihanna or Lindsay Lohan are wearing real fur. Top right, the new sign (Picture: Photofab/Rotello/MCP/Rex/Nigel Howard)
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Alistair Foster  26 February 2014

Royal favourite Mahiki has risked riling its clientele after becoming the first nightclub in London to ban fur.

Patrons at the Mayfair nightspot will be greeted by a new neon sign donated by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, featuring the word “fur” with a slash through it.

Clubbers who are wearing fur will be refused entry, and other guests will be given “No Fur” badges at the door.

Campaigner Meg Mathews is behind the initiative and will be training the venue’s staff in how to spot fur items —as opposed to faux fur, which is allowed — judging by look and feel.

She will host an evening at the club, where visitors have included Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, tomorrow night, manning the door to check customers. The club plans to retain the policy.

Wrapped up: a Gucci model in fur (Picture: Splash) She said: “I love the idea of being able to show how fabulous being fur-free can be. Mahiki is one of the coolest spots in London, so it was my first choice for hosting a night to promote compassion in fashion.

“I don’t care who you are — if you’re wearing fur, you’re heartless, and you’re not coming in.”

Once a major taboo, attitudes to fur have seemed to become more lax recently as it has appeared in catwalk shows for the likes of Gucci.

But Mathews added: “Twenty years after PETA’s famous ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ campaign began, wearing fur is now viewed with disgust. You can always find a few people who don’t care, and there will always be people so desperate for attention that they wear it just to raise eyebrows — but you can’t have any respect for someone who hears about the gassing, beating and electrocution of animals and then decides to go out wearing something made that way.

“There are so many great designers working with cruelty-free fabrics, and that’s what we should be celebrating during fashion season.”

Socialite and jewellery designer Mathews may have her hands full — celebrities spotted leaving Mahiki wearing what appeared to be fur have included Lindsay Lohan and Rihanna.

Kate Moss is a fan and last week Rita Ora was seen in a £30,000 Fendi coat made from mink and beaver fur.

PETA spokeswoman Mimi Bekhechi said: “Anyone who wants to be ‘in’ needs to know that fur is most definitely ‘out’.

“The hottest trend in fashion is compassion, so we applaud Mahiki for taking a stand against real fur.”

Relative Radicalism

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All things are relative, and that includes radicalism. Do I go too far, or not far enough? That depends on who you ask. Ask a hunter, and I’m an extremist “anti”; in the eyes of the everyday meat-eater, I’m a vegan food Nazi.

But to an actual radical—one of the die-hard few who won’t be happy until every cage is empty, every cattle ranch is bankrupt, every mink is freed and every fur farm burned to the ground—well, I’m probably considered too fuckin’ nice. It’s not that I don’t want to see every hog farm abandoned, every layingcage_1 hen liberated, every trap melted back into pot metal, every trophy hunter prosecuted and every meat-eater veganized.

I guess I just don’t have that much faith in humanity.

I can’t get past the feeling that the only way all this human evil’s gonna end is when the species goes completely under, due to, say, a pandemic, major drought, storms or food shortage—the kind of things we’re likely to see as the climate keeps changing for the worse.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to do everything humanly possible (within reason) to stop the coming global train wreck, but meanwhile, I’m going to continue to secretly hope Mother Nature will hurry up and get her shit together to make right her biggest mistake. She’s been an overly permissive parent to the spoiled species Homo sapiens thus far, letting them get away with uncontrolled, selfish misbehavior.

It’s about time for her to rein in the over-intelligent, under-compassionate, over teched, under-ethical killer ape, even if she has to throw out the baby with the bath water.