Denial of the Suffering of „Fur Animals“
Besides the previously mentioned resorting to the myths of "naturalness", the oldest tactic of the fur industry is to deny the vulnerability and the capacity for suffering of animals and to dismiss the violence against animals associated with fur production.
This is not an easy task, considering the striking and undeniable fact, that mink, foxes, raccoons, chinchillas, rabbits and many other animals on "fur farms" are imprisoned for months and then murdered by means of asphyxiation or by electrocution. The cage resembles an austere and pathetic prison cell, the killing in the gasbox extremely painful death throes and the electrocution a horrible execution. Because the situation is so obviously appalling and because animal rights activists and animal liberationists worldwide continously climb over fences of "fur farms" –even the high-security enhanced ones– to film and to document the evidence, the fur industry does not even try to find cohesive counter-arguments against the misery on "fur farms". Instead, represented by lobby organisations like fur institutes, fur animal breeders associations or furriers associations, they just mumble that the "fur animals" on "fur farms" are fine. This they try to prove by pointing out the shiny pelt of the animals (which is in truth obtained through mixing the feed with additives). Additionally, they claim that the well-being of the animals is shown by the fact that they continue eat, grow and increase the income of the fur farmer. But the arguments of the fur industry take on forms which are even more grotesque: "Fur animals" would freeze to death in the wild, mink (able swimmers) would even drown. Thereby the cage is portrayed as a cosy home. However, in recent years veterinarians, who are usually entangled in the network of the animal exploitation industry, have been unable to justify this nonsense. A commission was set up which set out regulations for the keeping of "fur animals" for the EU. Following this commission, the cages must now be bigger, more structured prisons with material to keep the animals occupied (such as balls or plastic tubes). Mink furthermore get a small swimming basin (they don´t seem to drown after all).
But the misery of the "fur animals" won´t disappear by the implementation of new regulations for their keeping, or by employing newly "built and improved cages", nor by any of the other deceitful reforms; Only by the direct or indirect opening of the cages, by the liberation of animals from their forced utilisation as a commodity. Because the violence on the "fur farms" continuously threatens the health and the life of the "fur animals".