Wildlife Management Watches Over The Environmental Impact Of The Fur Trade

By Stephen Daniels

Trailside Traditions - Fur Blankets and Throws

The use of genuine fur, whether for a coat, scarf, hat, rug or bedspread, is a contentious issue that splits most people up based upon extreme "right or wrong" beliefs. Apparently one either takes an ideological stance against the use of fur or one loves the products made out of it. People have been hunting animals for food and fur for thousands upon thousands of years. During the last 50 years, however, furriers and their customers have had to deal with animal rights groups who maintain that killing animals strictly for their pelts, whether living in the wilderness or on farms, is inhumane and should be abolished. Nevertheless, many people with the means still purchase and greatly enjoy fur products.

The fur industry employs hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide as trappers, farmers, furriers and others such as retailers and wholesalers. Furs are harvested by trappers in the wild who must comply with strict wildlife management regulations. Above all, no endangered species may be trapped for their fur, and populations of wild animals must be monitored to ensure a species does not end up on the endangered species list.

Fur supporters maintain that proper wildlife administration helps prevent overpopulation of any single species, which can upset a delicate eco-system and ultimately can lead to habitat destruction, disease and starvation, and these supporters have studies to back up this claim. Opponents debate that no matter how it's put, trapping is inhumane and ultimately causes suffering and death not only of the intended prey, but also of many animals that unexpectedly stepped into a trap created for another species.

Conventional traps are still used which, animal rights groups point out, cause animals to suffer while still alive, whether from the trap itself or an trauma that has been self-inflicted in an effort to get free. More and more trappers have moved to soft traps as a way to avoid these eventualities. Soft traps are designed to catch the animal without wounding it and causing it to suffer unnecessarily.

Fur farming is the principal process used to acquire the raw material for products like fur coats, fur bedspreads, lining, comforters, rugs and more. Farmed animal pelts contribute 85% of the total global fur production, and most farms are located in Europe and Russia. Mink and fox are raised only in fur farms. Fur farming is generally considered by all but the staunchest opponents of the fur trade to be a more humane way to harvest the material as the animals are well fed and protected from predators throughout their lifetimes.

Finally, another way to obtain fur is the culling of over-populations of some species of wildlife, or due to the need to destroy animals that have started to hunt people as food, or have infringed on property of farmers and ranchers and caused unacceptable losses to these industries. Culling of wild animals is subject to a lot of controversy, as the wildlife activists on both sides of the argument are very outspoken. Nevertheless, most pelts from this type of activity are sold to furriers to be treated and made into fur products.

Furrier guilds first began organizing in 14th-century Europe and many of those same guilds persist today. Primarily family-run small businesses comprised of specialized artisans, fur production is a labor-intensive procedure that involves several complicated steps. Since every pelt is unique, the process can never be automated. Having survived 700 years of major societal and economic paradigm shifts - assuming people will have a interest in having real fur in the future - these guilds will continue as they always have.

People who like and can afford fur will not stop buying it. It is unmatched in terms of organic warmth and features a characteristic and unique look and feel that man made furs cannot duplicate. And, one must never forget that synthetic look-alikes are produced using petrochemicals, which is definitely not an eco-friendly process. Not only are vital resources being used to produce this merchandise, but the end result is not bio-degradable. .

Unfortunately, poachers still operate in the wild, hunting at risk species for their furs and other parts of the body because, simply put, there is a market for them. As long as people want banned, hard-to-obtain things, someone will find a way to supply it. And for the poachers, the harder it is to deliver, the more money there is to be made. However poaching in virtually every country in the world is a crime and law enforcement agencies are taking the initiative to police protected wildlife areas. In addition, there is a worldwide effort to protect endangered species and end the trafficking of these illegal goods.

It is important to bear in mind good wildlife management programs do exist throughout the world. In fact, there was an International Fur Federation agreement struck in 1997 that defined humane and acceptable trapping standards for all trappers worldwide. This policy has been supported by most of the major countries active in the fur trade, including Russia, the EU, and of course the United States.

The fur industry will continue to strive to satisfy the demands of its customers, but they are aware of the conflict in the industry, so they have pledged to continue to monitor trapping and farming methods. Their goal is to maintain healthy animal populations and ecosystems while providing a means to deliver a highly coveted product. For those in search of fur products, whether to wear or to embellish their homes, it is imperative to always check the source of their furs, and buy only from those vendors who are committed to wildlife management through sustainable harvesting practices.

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About the Author:

For high quality, real fur bedspreads author Stephen Daniels highly recommends the high quality products produced by Trailside Traditions. The owner has been in this business for more than 20 years, and takes pride in the quality of the fur he uses, and gets from his eco-responsible suppliers.