Job Wanted: Fur Testers

I met some wonderful people last weekend. Alongside TWS, the Sea Shepherds – they call themselves – stood proudly next to their  booth. Saving the marine creatures – big and small – was the lifelong mission of John* who gave me a bear hug as we bade farewell. I believe our paths will cross again. We all heard about the seal slaughter up in Canada and how for years, activists – from Canada and elsewhere – had come together to end the seal trade; finally, we see results! The UN voted by a very large margin to ban all seal products – this literally translates to lesser seals killed. 

Because it is easier to identify and locate seal products, the banning of this trade can be very effective to curb the supply. I am very appreciative of Marinka who had provided important information on fur trading and news on current fur regulation in her country (click here, select ‘English’). I’ve also been recently made aware that several countries are not ignorant of the fact that cats and dogs are indeed farmed for their fur and have passed the bill that all cat/dog fur is banned in the country (they include New Zealand, parts of Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and others). However, there is currently no proper infrastrature regulating the testing of the products – cat and dog fur IS mixed into so many of our daily products! See here for detailed reports. I urge the countries who have stood by their decision to ban cat/dog fur to do more. I urge all the science and maths geniuses out there – please invent a device that can enable us to test the fur cheaply.  I would not be able to forgive myself if the stuff toy I’ve hugged for the past few years was indeed made from cat/dog fur. (I’ve learned about this fact that cats/dogs are farmed for fur only in January 2009). Believe it or not – farming cats and dogs for their fur is CHEAPER than making faux fur (read this report now). All of us are entitled to know if we have blood on our hands.