Coats for Cubs 2005: Returning Fur to the Animals |
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A woman, her small dog on a leash beside her, strolled along the sidewalk in front of Neiman Marcus, two fur coats draped over her arm. But instead of going into the store for post-Thanksgiving shopping, she placed the fur coats into a round, plastic tub on the sidewalk, and walked away, a smile on her lips. Icy gusts whipped around her as she walked down the street; she clearly wasn't dumping the fur due to a sudden November heat wave. No, this compassionate woman donated her furs to pitch in to Coats for Cubs, an HSUS program that gives fur back to the animals.
The Washington, D.C.-area resident and many others like her—all eager to donate fur—braved nippy weather on November 25 to kick off the fur-free season and to help Coats for Cubs make its nationwide debut. Many of the "Fur-Free Friday" events, held across the country the day after Thanksgiving, included donation bins where passersby could drop off fur coats and fur trimmed items.
Coats for Cubs is an offshoot of HSUS's existing fur donation program, which continues to accept fur and fur-trimmed donations through the mail. This year, Coats for Cubs placed donation bins directly on the street, allowing holiday shoppers to donate their fur garments on the biggest shopping day of the year. All of the coats and other fur items collected will be distributed to more than 100 participating wildlife rehabilitators, who will use them to comfort orphaned and injured animals.
Many individuals and groups across the country participated in Coats for Cubs. Here's a brief look at their successes.
Washington, D.C.
Accompanying the Coats for Cubs collection box in Washington, D.C., were animal advocates educating shoppers about where fur comes from. In the case of "broadtail lamb" fur, it could be from prematurely born, stillborn, or very young
lambs of the karakul breed of sheep. About 35 advocates held signs and banners up and down the block and on both sides of the street.
An activist in Washington, D.C., handed out leaflets about the fur trade next to an HSUS Coats for Cubs donation box outside a Neiman Marcus store, often unaffectionately referred to as "Neiman Carcass." Generous HSUS members filled the box with donated fur coats. All the fur collected will be used to help, not hurt, animals.
New York, New York
In New York City,
Caring Activists Against Fur (CAAF) organized a large event featuring protests outside fur sellers J. Crew and Prada, and a march between these two stores. The CAAF event featured the participation—and signs—of a number of animal protection groups with a presence in New York City. On November 30, J. Crew announced that they will no longer carry products made from animal fur, although they denied that the decision was influenced by protests.
The donation box at the CAAF event—shown here as two fur coats were deposited—was mounted on a dolly, allowing it to roll along with the march and collect donations in front of both stores. Those who attended the protests on this frosty day bundled up for the weather, proving that you can stay warm without wearing any animal fur.
Florida
Much farther to the south, the
Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) organizes two Fur-Free Friday events every year in a climate where you wouldn't expect to see fur worn, but unfortunately often do. The protesters in Orlando were apparently quite comfortable in shirtsleeves and sunglasses.
Other attendees at the ARFF event held signs showing passersby the side of the fur trade that fur peddlers do not want you to think about: the animals killed, skinned, and then discarded so that the industry can profit from their fur. Worldwide, more than 40 million minks, raccoons, foxes, chinchillas, and other animals die each year for the fur trade, often after living miserable lives spent cooped up in cages.
The Palm Beach Daily News printed an article detailing the Fur-Free Friday events held in Palm Beach in an area with a number of fur merchants. The article mentioned the Coats for Cubs fur donation box placed in front of the local Neiman Marcus store.
Denver, Colorado
In Denver, Rocky Mountain Animal Defense (RMAD) protested outside a Neiman Marcus store with the help of "Giselle the Fox." Hundreds of passersby took literature, many cars slowed down to speak with protesters, and numerous shoppers stopped to watch an anti-fur video on RMAD's body screen television, a portable video display. Several people stopped by to donate fur to the Coats for Cubs program. An article in the
Denver Post prominently featured this event.
Philadelphia and Upstate New York
Other Fur Free Friday events with Coats for Cubs boxes took place in Philadelphia and Skaneateles, New York. Activists in Philadelphia set up the donation box on a busy corner downtown and handed out hundreds of leaflets while holding a banner that read "Fur Is Cruel and Unnecessary." A dozen people emailed the local organizer to apologize for not being able to bring their furs that day, but wanting to know how to mail them in.
The Skaneateles event, organized by three upstate New York groups, People for Animal Rights (PAR), Animal Rights Advocates of Upstate New York (ARA), and Syracuse Animal Rights Organization (SARO), was a big success. A former Skaneateles resident back in town for the holidays donated two fur coats. Throughout the event, activists used signs, banners, a television playing fur footage, and leaflets to educate the public about the cruelty behind fur and fur trim.
If You Missed Fur-Free Friday
More injured or orphaned animals like this baby raccoon can look forward to feeling safe and warm in donated fur, thanks to everyone who generously donated to Coats for Cubs and HSUS's fur donation program.
If you weren't able to attend one of the Fur-Free Friday events, you still have a chance to participate in our fur donation program. The HSUS accepts fur donations year round through our mail-in donation program.
See the Video
Fur Shame
Karakul Lambs
Related Links
Mary Wore a Little Lamb: An Investigation into Karakul Lamb Fur
Fur and Trapping
