Date
November 17, 2006
Contact
Melissa Gonzalez
(415) 305-8633
Kristie Phelps
(757) 423-0093
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
IDA Urges Shoppers to Go Fur-Free on Busiest Shopping Day of the Year
Activists Gather in Union Square in Observance of Fur Free Friday
Pictures of beautiful foxes, beavers, wolves, and other furbearing animals with the words, "Thank you for not buying fur," are part of the message shoppers will see while out shopping on the busiest shopping day of the year. Members of In Defense of Animals (IDA) will also screen video footage that reveals horrific cruelty in an effort to dissuade shoppers from ever wearing or purchasing fur. The demonstration is concurrent with demonstrations across the U.S. on the day after Thanksgiving, which has become known, nationally, as Fur Free Friday:
What: Fur Free Friday demonstration - Beverly Hills, Calif.
Date: Friday, November 24, 2006 12:00 noon
Place: Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Blvd.
Contact: Bill Dyer (310) 301-7730
What: Fur Free Friday demonstration-San Jose, Calif.
Date: Friday, November 24th 2006, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Place: Burberry, 333 Santana Row, San Jose
Contact: Judy Jones (408) 286-5204
What: Fur Free Friday-San Francisco
Date: Friday, November 24, 2006 12:00 noon
Place: Union Square, at the intersection of Post St. and Stockton St.
Contact: Melissa Gonzalez (415) 305-8633
What: Fur Free Friday
Date: Friday, November 24, 2006 12:00 noon
Place: March begins at 811 SW Morrison; will go West on Morrison to 13th Street, then South to Yamhill, then East to 4th Street, North to Morrison and West back to the starting point.
Contact: Matt Rossell (503) 890-5151
What: Fur Free Friday demonstration - Philadelphia, Pa.
Date: Friday, November 24, 2006 11:00 a.m.
Place: Rittenhouse Park, 18th and Walnut Streets
Contact: Chris Semick (609) 334-9277
Advocates want shoppers to realize that a tremendous amount of suffering is involved for animals killed for their fur, even the kind inconspicuously used as trim on coats, shoes, ear muffs, or gloves. As a result of its cheaper production, China has become the foremost fur supplier to the U.S.
An investigation of Chinese fur farms revealed workers attempting to stun animals by repeatedly slamming them against the ground or bashing their heads with clubs. Such unreliable methods leave many animals fully conscious, visibly blinking and breathing for as long as ten minutes after the fur is ripped from their bodies. Fur from China ends up in stores all across the U.S.
On U.S. fur farms, the standard methods of killing animals for "ranched fur" are gassing, neck breaking, poisoning, or anal or vaginal electrocution. Fur may also come from animals in the wild who are caught in steel-jaw traps or snares where they suffer excruciating pain, for days or weeks, before having their chests stomped on or their necks broken by trappers. Beavers caught in underwater traps struggle frantically for up to 20 minutes before drowning.
"Holidays are a time for celebration and reverence for life, so we're calling on shoppers to respect all life by not buying fur," says IDA spokesperson Melissa Gonzalez. "Ripping the skin off an animal's back simply for the sake of vanity is cruel and unnecessary."
Many celebrated designers, such as Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney and Todd Oldham, refuse to design with fur and recently, several prominent retail chains including Victoria's Secret, JCrew and Forever 21 have pledged not to sell real fur.
For more information on IDA's anti-fur campaign, please visit: www.FurKills.org.