Raising animals for fur.
The reality of life for fur animals on farms goes beyond humane treatment, brutal practices by farmers are a daily occurrence.
A system that allows cruelty to animals is, unfortunately, more likely to favor the perpetrators than the victims who suffer by its design.
On fur farms, foxes, mink, chinchillas, raccoons, and opossums are kept in cramped cages, where they have no way of meeting their natural needs. Foxes in the wild travel distances of 10 to 100 kilometers per day. The company of other animals and life in captivity cause them severe stress, often leading to acts of cannibalism. In addition to physical injuries such as bites and deformities of the paws, animals on fur farms also suffer from mental illnesses such as stereotypies. The sight of foxes going around in circles, out of touch with reality, is frightening. It is sad to see young foxes taking their first steps on the floor of the cage, unable to stand on the unstable floor.
Life on the farms is a short cycle of a few months. Foxes are killed by electrocution, mink by gassing in mobile gas chambers. The finale of the entire life of these animals is the skinning and exhibition of their pelts at international auctions.
After skinning, only the breeding herd remains on the farm. These pre-selected animals are multiplied to form a new herd in the spring. From January onwards, the animals are prepared for copulation and the cycle repeats itself. The entire farm is dominated by the sounds of insistent scratching at the bars in the hope of freedom, the hissing, barking, and calling of several hundred animals. The fox farm at night, with its harsh scenery and voices from behind the bars, is a scene reminiscent of a horror film, where I feel not fear but grief and compassion combined with impotence.
