DECEMBER 11, 2020 – A new anti-fur video gets some star power. Released today, the PSA entitled “Hide” follows three interconnected stories behind a single fur coat: The trapper who catches the fox, the seamstress who sews the fur coat, and the shopper, played by Mena Suvari, who buys it. The film also features music from Billie Eilish who has used her platform to encourage people to stop wearing fur. 

 The thought-provoking film highlights the cruelty behind the fur trade and the hypocrisy of loving some furry animals while supporting the suffering of others.  

 “I am honored to have been a part of this PSA in working with the Fur Free Alliance,” said Mena Suvari. “I have always felt so strongly about the need to bring more awareness into what we choose to wear and consider “fashionable”. There is no need to wear animals, especially fur, and so I am truly grateful to be part of this project that helps conveys such a powerful message showcasing how the fur industry negatively affects so many.” 

Mena Suvari adopted a plant-based diet in early 2018, and soon after, got rid of all her animal-based wardrobe and started anew cruelty free. 

Suvari and filmmaker Dustin Brown partnered with the Fur Free Alliance, an international coalition of 40+ animal protection organizations, including FOUR PAWS, working together to end the exploitation and killing of animals for fur. “Hide” is a follow-up to Brown’s 2019 viral hit “Casa de Carne” which highlighted issues of animal suffering in food production and won multiple awards. 

“It was an incredible experience working with Mena Suvari and the Fur Free Alliance,” said Brown. “I am grateful for the opportunity to tell a story about the inherent cruelty of the fur trade. Whether it's a fox trapped in North America, a mink on a fur farm in Europe, or a factory worker in China, they are all connected by a system of exploitation. The underlying theme is compassion.” 

“Fur production always harms animals and the environment, it is never sustainable”, says Thomas Pietsch, Wild Animal Expert at FOUR PAWS. “Additionally, the recent COVID-19 outbreaks on hundreds of mink farms highlights the risk the fur industry poses for human health by spreading zoonotic diseases and enabling potential future health catastrophes.” 

The United States and Canada are the top producers of wild trapped fur in the world. Even though over 100 countries, including the EU and China, have prohibited the use of the steel-jaw leghold traps, trappers in North American commonly use them to kill millions of wild animals a year for the global fur market. Animals caught in crippling leg-hold traps can suffer for days without food or water and have been known to gnaw off their limbs to escape. These archaic traps are indiscriminate, often maiming and killing non-target animals, including threatened species and pets. 

The majority of fur comes from fur factory farms where animals spend their entire lives in cramped battery cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviors like running, digging and swimming. Their suffering is only ended by crude gassing or electrocution.  

Thankfully, the fur trade is on the decline as more brands and retailers – including Gucci, Armani, Hugo Boss and Prada – have announced fur free policies with the Fur Free Alliance and more cities, states and countries have passed laws ending fur production, sales or imports. 

You can watch the video here (https://youtu.be/PuGF6WE_M6Q) 

FOUR PAWS is an active member of the Fur Free Alliance and is currently collecting petition signatures as part of a global campaign to end the cruel and deadly fur trade, before it causes the next pandemic. The petition can be found here (https://help.four-paws.org/en-US/end-cruel-and-deadly-fur-trade-it-causes-next-pandemic).  

FOUR PAWS also announced this year Wear it Kind, a new global initiative aimed at revolutionizing the use of animals in fashion by choosing to buy clothing that encourages kindness to animals, people and the environment. #WearitKind is about wearing clothes that match your values and the outfits you feel good in. To learn more visit WearItKind.org.