Being kept on farms, caught in traps, or hunted in other ways causes fur-bearing animals enormous suffering. The manufacture of unnecessary and easily-substituted fashion and luxury items from fur can under no circumstances justify the cruel keeping and/or killing of the animals.

FOUR PAWS has worked to end the fur trade for decades. We have lobbied to end fur farming, created labelling laws in European countries, pushed companies to find fur alternatives, and educated the public on consumer choices. 

Whether raised on a farm or trapped in the wild, the treatment of animals used for the fur trade is inherently cruel. FOUR PAWS has long campaigned for a ban on the keeping and killing of fur-bearing animals and an end to the use of real fur in the fashion industry.
 
Each year more than 100 million animals are killed by the fur industry. Minks, foxes, rabbits, and more suffer in tiny wire mesh cages on fur farms in Europe, Asia, and North America. Other species like coyotes, bobcats, lynx, beavers, raccoons, and "non-target" animals, such as dogs and cats, meet a cruel death caught in steel-jaw leghold traps, Conibear “kill” traps, and wire cable snares.
 
While the full-length fur coat may be a fashion of the past, the fur trade has reared its ugly head in new and inventive (and sometimes hidden) ways. The trend of fur in recent years has moved to the trim of winter jacket hoods, collars, and cuffs along with tassels and pom-poms on hats and bags. It can take between 10 to 24 foxes or 36 to 65 minks to produce a single fur coat. With the prevalence of fur trim in today’s fashion and accessories, the number of animals killed to meet the demand is only increasing.
 
In today’s world, the use of fur is unnecessary. There are a wide range of synthetic alternatives available. Despite this, the trade continues with consumers – both knowingly and unknowingly – keeping the cruelty alive by the purchasing decisions they make.