Puppies, Foxes, and Beavers, Oh My! (The Fur Industry is killing our friends)

Puppies, what a delightful word, filled with connotations of cold nosed little furballs tromping around a fenced in yard, yet puppies in cages being sold for their pelts, not so delightful. Now the United States may be above these puppy mills, but that does not exclude American companies and desingers that buy from Chinese manufactures who use beloved domestic cats and dogs as a winter coat. Why in a world with so many innovations, including acrylic made fibers do producers and consumers continue to buy and sell our precious house pets on a “fashionable” coat. Sarah LeTrent quoted in a CNN article, “Joshua Katcher who crafted the animal-free men's shoes for Vaute's presentation, said the use of leather and fur is tough to rationalize now because of the technological advances of faux products.” (LeTrent, 21) So the same look without the expense of an actual life.

Cruella Deville was a fictitious evil character who went after adorable little Dalmatians to create the “coat of all coats.” Why is this wrong in a children’s movie yet in real life, it is widely practiced? Money, this is just an efficient way of making money, because those lovely little animals run rampant in overpopulated cities. Scheming designers see it as an opportunity to maximize their profits with no consideration to that cold nose. 

Now it is not just typically domestic animals but also those caught in the wild. Every animal is essential to its own ecosystem. When a certain animal is taken out of its ecosystem, especially in such large numbers, as in fur trapping, this results, not only in its own population dwindling, but those who prey on it. In addition those that it preys on are effected by overpopulation which leads to competition and eventually a dwindling population of its own. A by product of tanning, the process of turning an animal hide into a palpable product, is phosphorus, as David Suzuki states in his online journal, “The elevated phosphorus loading that has occurred and continues to occur in all of these lakes will have adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystems. The increased growth of algae and aquatic macrophytes will ultimately create oxygen deficit and likely result in fish kills” (Suzuki, 17.) Fish kills are exactly what one would expect they are, because of the lack of sunlight, due to the over production of algae, phytoplankton are not able to create oxygen for pond organisms, like nekton (free swimming organisms. i.e. fish, turtles) die off.

The act of attaining fur is not only atrociously inhumane, but it ruins the relationship between humans and animals. Domestic and wild animals alike, every one is important. Not only is the fur industry ruin habitats for important species, it is also effecting human health, which seems to be the issue the general population pays attention to. It is incredibly easy, when you are shopping and something appears to have fur on it, just read the label, it takes all of ten seconds. If it says rabbit fur, kindly put it back on the shelf, if man made, go for it, you got yourself a new jacket! If we do put limits or even a stop to the fur trade industry, then beautiful and essential animals could one day be obsolete. Animals belong in nature and in loving homes, and their fur does not belong on the backs of over indulgent human beings.  

Some animals used for their fur:

On Second thought maybe they should just be banned because of how unattractive they are...

LeTrent, Sarah. "Fur on the catwalk: Is it worth the controversy?." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

       Suzuki, David. "The impacts of the mink industry on freshwater lakes in Nova Scotia: An overview of concerns ." David Suzuki Foundation . N.p., 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

Word count (567) Not counting citation and photo captions

Childrens Books Taught Me Everything I Know about Animals (Central Argument)

“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

I was raised being told, that all living things should be respected, and as I have grown older I can see, this is not just some romantic, “hippie” way of looking at the world, this is the only way to get the most out of life. Since humans are apparently superior to all other animal species, we feel the right to use animals to fill various needs, such as instructional tools, food sources, fashion and entertainment. 
        A Well Fed World found, “Nearly 10 billion (10,000,000,000) farm animals die each year in the U.S. alone to produce meat, dairy and eggs.” (A Well Fed World 1), this number is outstanding and is only the a statistic for our nation, discluding the rest of the world. On a yearly basis, since the "invention" of factory farming, the quality of farm animals life has vastly diminished. Icanimal.com stated “In 2009, there were approximately 300 fur farms in the United States... In 2011 over 3 million mink were killed for their pelts in the U.S” (lcanimal 1), and the number has only grown since then. A pelt skinned from a helpless animal can provide the same warmth a faux fur one made with acrylic fibers could. Fur is not fashion, it is wearing the carcass of a dead animal. The National Anti-Vivisection Society projected, “Today, in the American educational system alone, an estimated six million animals are dissected every year. Perhaps even more shocking, millions of animals of various species are intentionally “purpose bred” or “harvested” from the wild for the sole purpose of killing and dissecting them in the misguided name of science education.” (Navs 2) Frogs and other small animals and amphibians stolen from their homes to be used for dissection, make up a vital part of their ecosystem. Not to mention the vast amount of other ways of learning about animals. It is an oxymoron, to kill and animal just to learn about that animal. 
      And what for? A pot roast dinner? A mink vest? To learn the anatomy of a frog? While these things may seem normal, there are other, humane options that offer the same experience. Meatless Monday has turned into the cool thing for suburban moms to do, now meatless products are being snatched up almost as quickly as those repackaged white Styrofoam containers. Faux fur looks and feels the same as real fur, but for much less money (and if it was made in china there is a possibility it’s made from a dog or cat hide.) The programs on teachkind.org feature alternatives to dissecting real animals, offering a humane approach to biology lessons. 
       Only due to few genetic differences, we humans are not cooped up in cages awaiting death, only to be mutilated after ward, like our furry counterparts. Unlike humans offering their organs or bodies for donation, animals lack the ability to give their consent does not mean that we can use, and abuse their bodies. As Anders Schinkel illuminates, "There is quite a long-standing tradition according to which the morally proper treatment of animals does not rely on what we owe them, but on our benevolence; animals should be treated with 'compassion and tenderness.'" (Schinkel 3.) Just as humans should respect and honor each others bodies, and minds, animals bodies and minds, though less developed are still a pertinent addition to the world as a whole.

    Chicken factory farming            Cats to be used for dissection 

The fur industry 

                                      

Citations


"Factory Farms." A Well-Fed World. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.


Fur Trade Facts." Last Chance for Animals -. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.


"DISSECTION IN THE CLASSROOM." Dissection in the Classroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.


Schinkel, Anders. "Martha Nussbaum on animal rights." Ethics & the Environment 13.1 (2008): 41+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

My life in photos (Part 1)

I spent my entire senior year engulfed in art, out of the 8 classes I took, half were art. This was a piece from my concentration portion of my AP 2D design portfolio, I scored a 5 out of 5, it's one of my proudest achievements.

This is a piece from the breadth section of my portfolio, this was one of my favorites I took all year because it reminds me of the abandoned mental hospital by my house, where I spent many days photography the urban decay. My county tore it down this summer, it was like a rite of passage for all the local kids to survive "Henryton" 

The colors look funky on this screen. I took this in Maine last summer, It was such a nice low key vacation, and I got to sit and sketch the bay for a couple of hours, it was incredibly relaxing.

I took this on my phone so the quality is not too good. But the signifigance of this photo is that I took it on my last day of senior year, I went to the reservoir by my school before it started, it was such a bittersweet day. High school ended but the best summer of my life to date started, and I started the next chapter in my life.

This was a photo that I took in Granada, Spain, last summer. My sister was studying there so I went to visit her, I fell in love with the culture, the art, the people, the food, the language, it is definitely a place I would happily go back to.