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Dog and Cat Victims of the Fur Trade


	HSUS/Karremann
	Read the report [PDF] and watch the video.

Few people realize the true scale of the suffering and death of wild animals for fur garments. But even less well known is that a purchase of fur or fur trim supports an industry that also kills millions of domestic dogs and cats a year.

Although the majority of the dog and cat victims are raised and killed in China and other parts of Asia, their fur is exported for sale worldwide.

Only a handful of countries have banned dog and cat fur, but the European Union has publicly stated it intends to seek a ban in the near future.

The United States already bans the sale of dog and cat fur (helped by an HSUS investigation), but the our latest investigation has found dog fur is still slipping into the country on unlabeled and falsely labeled jackets.

TAKE ACTION

Ask your representative for truth in fur labeling!

Many dogs and cats also fall victim to traps set for wild animals. In the United States—the world's leading supplier of fur from trapped animals—countless dogs and cats are injured and killed each year in indiscriminate steel-jawed leghold traps, Conibear traps and snares.


	Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons
	This dog was caught in a trap commonly used by fur trappers.

The exact number of American dogs and cats injured or killed in traps is unknown because most incidents likely go unreported. But dogs are caught often enough that a large trapping association recently advertised an insurance policy for its members, offering as much as $300,000 in protection from dog owners who sue after their animals are injured in traps.

People who buy fur garments from trapped animals—mink, raccoon, fox, coyote and others—contribute to the demand for pelts that sends trappers into the woods with dangerous, cruel devices that put pets at risk.

If you know of a dog or cat who was caught in a trap, please fill out our trapping case report to help us bring the cruelty to light.

News on Pets in Traps

May 1, 2008, The Topeka Capital Journal: Death of cat results in conviction, fine
April 30, 2008, New York Times: Montana Dog Owners Find Wild-Animal Traps Put Pets in Harm’s Way
April 30, 2008: Trapper Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty for Killing Cat
March 22, 2008, The Citizens Voice (Pennsylvania): Cat caught in leghold trap died excruciating death
March 17, 2008, CBC NEWS (Canada): Cat makes painful trip home, caught in leg-hold trap
March 9, 2008, Anchorage Daily: Season of trapping catches two wolverines and six dogs
March 1, 2008, The Flint Journal (Michigan): Debate grows over animal traps as family pets sometimes fall victim
February 28, 2008, WTOP News (Washington, D.C.): Dog Owners Shocked, Saddened By Shootings
February 19, 2008, Chattanooga Times Free Press: Trappers describe a 'dying' way of life
February, 2008, The Missoulan: Living with trapping—All parties learn after dog caught in trap near Alberton