ANTI-FUR ADVERTISEMENT GIVES FUR-BEARING ANIMALS "MAX"-IMUM EXPOSURE
World-Renowned artist Peter Max's Design to Run Nationwide

MILL VALLEY, Calif. - In time for the holiday season, Mill Valley, California-based In Defense of Animals (IDA) is placing a thought provoking anti-fur ad designed by world-renowned artist, Peter Max in publications across the country. The large, full-color ad features photos of puppies and kittens along with beautiful photos of foxes and beavers. Accompanying copy reads, "Make respect for all life your fashion statement. Beavers and foxes have as much right to live as cats and dogs. Please don't wear fur." The ad has already run in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Portland, Oregon's Willamette Weekly, and BARK Magazine.

IDA was pleased to work with Peter Max, a German-born American artist best known for his colorful images. Max has painted for five U.S. Presidents, the Beatles, Aerosmith, and the Rolling Stones. Max has contributed to the animal rights cause in the past by creating artwork in support of farm animals in need and rescuing and finding homes for dogs and cats. Once he even flew to Cincinnati and paid for a cow who had escaped from a slaughterhouse to be transported to a New York farm animal sanctuary.

Why is Peter Max seeing red at the fur industry's treatment of animals?

Animals raised on fur farms are confined into filthy wire mesh cages for the duration of their lives. Many go insane from the confinement and suffer physical and psychological illness. The standard methods of killing animals for "ranched fur" is gassing, neck breaking, poisoning, or anal or vaginal electrocution. Each year approximately 10 million animals are trapped in the wild. An average of forty to one hundred animals must be killed to make one fur coat. They are commonly trapped in leg hold traps-devices made up of two metal jaws, powered by high strength springs, which slam shut on an animal's paw when triggered. Trapped animals can suffer for days before the trapper comes to break their necks or stomp on their chests.

Many celebrated designers, such as Stella McCartney, Todd Oldham, and Calvin Klein refuse to design with fur. To view the full size ad, please visit: www.idausa.org/petermax. For more information on IDA's anti-fur campaign, please visit our Web site: www.FurKills.com.