International Day of Protest Against the Use of Fur  
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Fur coats...scarier than Halloween.

The Anti-Fur Society of Washington D.C., as part of the International Anti-Fur Coalition in over 40 countries worldwide, will be holding a peaceful protest march in downtown D.C. this weekend; groups will be gathering worldwide for the International Day of Protest Against the Use of Fur, this Saturday, November 3rd.

China has been a large focus amongst antifur groups recently, as the country is the world's largest exporter of fur.  Animals endure horrific brutalities there due to the lake of animal welfare and protection standards.  It is estimated that China produces more than 1.5 million fox pelts per year, about the same number of raccoon dog pelts - the kind that Diddy's clothing line was busted for using in December.

Fur collars marked "faux" fur on Sean John coats were revealed by the Humane Society to contain real fur from dogs:  raccoon dogs are a breed of dog, not raccoon.  Diddy had them all pulled from the line after it was revealed that real dogs were being killed for the coats.

Previous tests conducted by the Humane society on fur trim from other designers has the same conclusion:  fur from the raccoon dog is being mislabeled in China as being from a raccoon, and then further mistranslated as being fake fur.

"Dog and cat fur has largely been found in the U.S. because of a loophole in the importation of fur into the U.S. which allows any fur item under $150 to enter our markets without labeling," says Rosa Close of the Anti-Fur Society.  "Since most dog/cat fur items are priced below $150, and sold under false names, it is impossible to know what consumers are buying unless DNA tests are performed."

And the tests, she says, start at $500 each.

Animal lovers will be meeting the Anti-Fur Society at Connecticut Avenue & K Street NW in downtown Washington, D.C. with posters and signs beginning at 12:00 pm.  They will protest at Burberry for 1/2 hour, then move on to Dupont Circle where the march will end at 1:30 pm.

1.  This weekend:  For the most up-to-date list of scheduled demonstrations worldwide for this Saturday, Nov 3rd., please visit antifurcoalition.org .

2.  Staying informed:  visit the antifursociety.org (one of our good friends!) for more information on helping fur bearing animals worldwide.

3.  Show your support from petitions to cute antifur graphics here.  You can also view there which celebrities to write on your sign, who still promote and finance the fur trade.  Write them on your signs this weekend!

   

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