Viti

The anti-smoking thread got me thinking about industries that have succesfully been shut down due to propaganda. Fur came to mind immediately.

I went on a swamp tour in Louisiana in February, and saw numerous Nutria, a non-native mammal introduced to the US for it's luxurious thick fur. When the anti-fur lobby effectively scared or shamed the majority of the public into not wearing fur what do you think happened to the Nutria? It's wreaking havoc on the environment and there is a 4.00/tail bounty on them. Some rural police are ordered to shoot them on sight. They are being slaughtered by the thousands just to keep their populations in check. A few industrious Cajuns are trying to market Nutria meat, but it's not doing well so far.

England has banned fur farming putting more than a few families out of business...some generations old that now have to find a different way to make a living.

So what were the reasons we shouldn't wear fur again? Because the poor fuzzy animals were being killed humanely and kept in nice clean cages safe from predators and disease and fed well so their fur was thick and healthy...oops, sorry I mean because they were being kept in horrible conditions and being anally electrocuted and we would rather go naked than wear fur (according to PETA et al)

Anyway, I love fur and own several pieces and have done extensive research on the subject. I was anti fur for a long time...but then I found the facts. Anybody wish to discuss?

Mageth

I think I heard recently that fur is making a comeback of sorts, at least in "high fashion."

BTW, nutria escaped into the wild long before the fur industry was "shut down" by the anti-fur lobby, so they are not to be blamed for the nutria infestation. Further, they were released into many southern U.S. waterways as a "cure" for invasive plant species such as water hyacynth, not just for the fur trade. Nutria breed far too fast for the fur industry to make a serious dent in their population, anyways.

Viti

True...but wouldn't it be a good thing for the people of the Bayou to have this source of income? If nothing can be done, then couldn't at least some people's lives benefit?

BTW, my source was a Cajun tour guide who also sells Nutria meat so I apologize if my facts on this particular animal are incorrect.

My research was mostly on farmed animals such as mink and fox

Mageth

True...but wouldn't it be a good thing for the people of the Bayou to have this source of income? If nothing can be done, then couldn't at least some people's lives benefit?

I agree. But if there's already a $4 bounty on nutria, it sounds like they may already be benefitting. That's probably at least comparable, if not better, than what they would get per pelt, and less work!

The nutria need to be controlled; they're destroying habitat for other animals, damaging the banks of many canals and earth dams, and doing all sorts of other damage. The native muskrat has virtually disappeared in many places due to the nutria invasion, for example.

But there is a tradeoff; nutria do control vegetation in waterways, ponds, and such, so putting a serious dent in their population may cause a plant explosion, esp. of introduced plants like water hyacynth, itself harmful to native habitat.

If we're going to kill them to control them, I see no reason not to use the fur, meat or whatever else we can. And I'd rather see the poor in those areas benefit by harvesting the wild nutria population than an industrial nutria operation (which, if it really became popular, would no doubt regrettably soon take over the industry).

But I'm afraid it may be a bit too late to realistically do much more than symbolic control of the nutria; like I said, they breed too fast, and have spread too far. The resurgence of the alligator in the south may be helping to control the population in those areas suitable for gators, and I would even speculate the nutria population may be one reason for the alligator's quick return in many areas (lots of nutria to eat).

BTW, my source was a Cajun tour guide who also sells Nutria meat so I apologize if my facts on this particular animal are incorrect.

My guess is he (or she) didn't have much use for anti-fur types.


I'm a bit of a swamp rat myself, growing up just east of Houston along the San Jacinto River and near the riverine swamps and coastal marshes infested with the critters.

Viti

Those of you that voted that it's wrong to wear fur, but okay to wear leather...why the differentiation?

Mageth

Personally, none of the categories fit my stance on the subject. I think it's wrong to wear some types of fur, but probably not wrong to wear other types of fur. I think it's wrong to wear fur from species which the taking of the fur might endanger limited populations of the species (tiger or leopardskin, for example), but not wrong to wear rabbit or nutria fur. I personally don't wear fur, but do wear leather. I don't particularly care for fur that much. But I would probably wear it if I was, say, in Alaska or Antarctica, where some types of fur are superior to any man-made product for some purposes, I believe.

miss djax

I was a vegetarian for years, and barely started eating meat again *another thread *, and recently bought a fur...

I collect vintage couture, and about 2 years ago I bought a vintage fur from my couture dealer. Its fabulous, beautiful, and is covered in a plastic bag in the back of my closet, partially out of guilt

I live in the SF Bay area, so to wear it around here would be scandalous, and I would anticipate PETA attacks.

The fur I believe is illegal now *not saying what it is *, to manufacture a new garment from the fur, but a vintage piece is fine. Its really beautiful.


I don't know if I could buy a new fur, for some reason I feel guilty, but my vintage fur coat is one of the prizes of my collection.

Miss Djax

trillian

Nothing wrong with wearing fur. Many of us would not be alive today without it as it was essential to survival in early humans.

I find most anti-fur persons to be highly hypocritical in nature if you try to determine which animals they think are wrong to kill and which are not. Just try going down the line...elephants, whales, horses, cows, dogs, minks, rabbits, rats, mice, spiders, ants, lice. Somewhere in there they feel its OK to kill or else they'd never walk a sidewalk again!!! They are not equal opportunity for all living creatures for sure.

Now, if a furrier tortured little bunnies for fun before taking their fur, that would be another story- I would think them deranged... but people kill animals and eat animals all the time, even when they don't know it, so I have no problem wearing the fur at all. Just wish I could actually have sometime to wear it now that I'm in Southern California!!

Viti

I didn't include that because to me its a given that endangered animals were not included. Sorry I wasn't clear

miss djax, most of my furs are vintage as well...though I am not against buying new, there is so much vintage out there that is gorgeous and so much less expensive!

miss djax

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miss djax, most of my furs are vintage as well...though I am not against buying new, there is so much vintage out there that is gorgeous and so much less expensive! [/B][/QUOTE]

Right on!!! One of the last collections Isaac Mizrahi did before folding was to rework vintage fur coats. The resulting pieces were wonderful!! I should warn you, I'm a serious textile nerd

Nice to meet a vintage fan

Miss Djax