Dear Editor:
Thank you for running Sydne Summer's opinion piece on fur ("How to... keep fashionably warm and stay animal-friendly" ; Features, Dec. 5). The U.S. fur industry is completely self-regulated and there are no laws that govern the humane care or slaughter of animals killed for their fur. Therefore, animals are often killed using the most horrific methods in order to preserve the pelt. A recent investigation on a fur farm in Midland, Mich. revealed chinchillas who were either electrocuted, causing painful seizures to the animals' hearts, or having their necks snapped while fully conscious.
An investigation released last year of fur farms in China - where 80 percent of the world's fur comes from - showed workers attempting to stun animals by repeatedly slamming them against the ground or bashing their heads with clubs, leaving many fully conscious, after the fur was ripped from their bodies. Fur from China ends up in stores all across America.
With so many warm synthetics available, there simply is no reason to wear real fur.
Kristie Phelps
Program Coordinator
In Defense of Animals
Mill Valley, Calif.
