The worst thing that can happen to any wild animal is causing her suffering intentionally, handling genetically, try you as if were a pet then kill him and, in too many cases, cause the extinction of the species. The fur industry has not only done all this, but it is also responsible for a waste of resources, the generation of waste and the introduction into the natural environment of non-native species. All of this to meet a supposed need for outerwear, completely non-existent, and the imperatives of a trendy old-fashioned and repudiated by the majority of the population.

Ten good reasons to not wear fur:

1.- Millions of animals are killed each year: the fur industry kills in the world more of 140 millions of wild animals. 40 millions of these animals are raised and killed on farms and the 20 million remaining are hunted using non selective traps which, in turn, cause the death of others 80 millions of non-beneficial to the fur animals. Each garment made from skins of wild animals hides the unnecessary death of many animals, and people who buy or use them must assume its responsibility for these deaths.

2.- Extinction of species: the capture and death of wild animals with late fur has led over the past centuries various species extinction, like for example, to the mink from the sea and to the Falkland Fox, While many others has put them on the brink of disappearance. Some of these species are: Beaver, ocelot, Nebula Panther, Sea Otter, Tiger, Jaguar, Koala, or wild chinchilla. Currently still kill wild animals in freedom belonging to species which are very threatened. In Spain, hunting animals for their skin was the extinction of the marten in Ibiza and has, together with other causes, multiple species on the brink of extinction. The Otter has been pursued by your skin until the Decade of the sixties, in that began to run out so much that it was no longer profitable. The brown bear still being today hunted stealthily, among other causes, for your skin.

Another example is the Iberian lynx. At the beginning of century more than 300 Lynx skins came every year to the furriers of Madrid, from the Guadarrama mountains, El Pardo and la Cuenca del Alberche. In 1937 Yet some were traded annually in the national market 500 Lynx skins. Currently the population of this species does not reach the 800 copies and is on the brink of extinction. The use of skins of wild animals has been and continues to be one of the main causes of extinction of species.

3.- Unnecessary suffering: The fur is not only synonymous with death, It is also suffering. The methods used to kill animals are shocking. In the case of animals in freedom, his death occurs especially through the use of traps, such as leghold traps. These methods do not cause the death of the animal quickly, but that lengthens the suffering. Death ends occur after a long agony. In the case of farms, cruelty begins from the moment that is obligated to live animals in small boxes along with hundreds of fellow, with high levels of psychological stress. Farms don't take into account their psychological and behavioral needs, causing in animals abnormal movements, apathy and self mutilation, in breach of the European Convention for the protection of farm animals. The methods used to kill these animals range from the gassing with monoxide or carbon dioxide, the dislocation of the neck, sodium pentabarbital injection and electrocution, until the bleeding. True beauty cannot be achieved through suffering, and cruelty can never be smart.

4.- Genetic manipulation: genetic manipulation is a constant in the farms. Is a selective breeding based on characteristics such as the quality and color of the skin, or in the reproductive success. For this reason, the farm mink are larger and have higher rate of reproduction than its own species-free copies, thus increasing the production of farms. The result is an animal that little or nothing has since be with its natural characteristics, whereupon, occurs when the escape of farmed animals, These can produce genetic alterations in wild populations.

5.- Attempt at domestication: breeding farms from wild animals like Minks or foxes is performed as if they were pets. Domestic animals are due to a process of domestication which lasted thousands of years. For example, We have a few 12.000 years living with dogs, 7.000 with pigs and 4.000 with hens. Given that date back to the most ancient European Mink farms of 1920, these animals have been in captivity less than 75 years and not them can be considered in any case pets. They are wild animals locked up in cages. In addition, the domestication of any animal is the disappearance of the way of life and behavior of a species. This process does lose their ability to survive by their own means, to rely on the man. The domestication of wild species assumes its “extinction”, This is due only to the use of their skins.

6.- Introduction of exotic species: one of the lesser known consequences, but more shocking to the environment, the proliferation of fur farms, It is the introduction that often lead to species not native in the natural environment. In various parts of the world animals escaping from these farms are producing the rupture of the ecological balance. More than 30 millions of Minks are bred each year on farms, for this reason, the American mink is one of the species coming from farms that more cases of leaks is known. The American mink, was brought to the European farms in 1926. Spain arrived in 1958, settling initially in the peninsular Centre and Galicia farms. Minks from farms such leaks come repeating since, currently existing populations in freedom of American mink, at least, in Galicia, Castilla y León, Castilla - La Mancha, Madrid, Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia. Among the many consequences that the introduction of this species, It should be noted the threat to the European Mink, the American is larger and competes directly with European by both food and space. For this reason, the Council of Europe has recommended the ban on the farms of American mink in areas that have populations of European Mink. These introductions also carry serious dangers to the possibility of that introduced diseases or parasites from farms and do not exist in the natural environment. The catastrophic consequences that has for the ecological balance the introduction of non-native species, justified if only the ban on fur farms.

7.- Waste of resources: the annual death of 140 millions of wild animals for the making of unnecessary luxury goods represents a clear waste of our wildlife resources. But, In addition, the existence of the fur farms is also a waste energy and food. They need 3,3 tons of food (fish meal, vegetable proteins, cereals, etc.) to make a mink coat, and 1 ton for a Fox coat. If these amounts are multiplied by the 30 millions of Minks that annually produce farms, It is annually used 1.650.000 tons of food. To understand why the banks of herring from the countries of the North are being depleted, Since half of herring which are caught in these countries are used for fur farms. Our scarce natural resources should not be wasted in any case, but less still to satisfy the vanity of some people.

8.- Waste production: the breeding of animals in farms generate vast amounts of organic waste for stocking beds, Food and crawling corpses, promote and develop the proliferation of rats and pathogenic micro-organisms, and eutrophication of waters. In addition, in the process of tanning of skins used heavy metals that are poured into industrial waters, poisoning aquatic ecosystems.

9.- Unnecessary luxury: The cold is always an excuse to use the skins of animals. Whether in Nordic and Mediterranean or Latin countries, these garments are unnecessary, more than shelter from the cold what they do is demonstrate a social and economic position, fruit of a fashion based on ostentation. It is not justifiable, Therefore, wear fur at any latitude. After a fall in the sale of skins, it comes trying to impose skins as a consumerist fashion more, making all kinds of “conversions” garments (today no longer used both the long coat of skins but applications and decorations with them), a wide range of offers and payment deadlines. The man wore skins in antiquity, but we are no longer cave.

10.- Existence of alternative clothing: these reasons amply justified not to buy or use products made with the skins but there are, In addition, sufficient alternative materials, to fight against the cold as well as to beautify the body. In the market there are enough outerwear from synthetic to completely banish the use of skins of wild animals.