Sports company, Allsports are selling real fur . . .
They sell Helly Hansen women's parker coats trimmed with raccoon fur on the hood.
CAFT spoke to Allsports head office who originally confirmed it was real raccoon fur and that they would fax us a company statement. They then backtracked and said they would only send us the statement once they received a letter from us. We immediately faxed them a letter but got no reply.
We told Allsports on the phone that they would be a major target during National Anti-Fur Week which started Saturday and lasts until Saturday 30 November.
Please contact Allsports and complain about their sale of fur - freephone 0800 716 205 Allsports, Horsfield Way, Bredbury, Stockport, SK6 2RT
Web: www.allsports.co.uk
If you are able to organise a protest at your local Allsports store - most areas have one, please do.
To find your nearest store check www.yell.co.uk (Yellow Pages).
If you can't organise a demo during this week please try and hold one as soon as possible and let us know details.
Raccoon Dogs are primarily bred in factory farms, in the usual bare wire cages with no provisions to allow them to carry out natural behaviours. In the wild Raccoon Dogs hibernate over the winter (making them unique among canids), something they cannot do on the fur farm. Their paws are not suited to a life living on wire mesh and because they don't have much hair on the pad of their paws, injuries occur from the coldness of the wires during winter.
Raccoon Dogs are killed by electrocution, as with foxes. Steel clamps are inserted in the mouth and anus and the animals electrocuted.
A study published in a fur industry journal revealed that over the four- year period that the breeding of Raccoon Dogs was studied in Poland between 17.1% and 35.1% of the Dog pups died or were bitten to death [Scientifur, vol 13, no 2, 1989).
The Raccoon Dog is obviously a member of the Canidae Family, and the thought of dogs being killed for their fur fills most people with horror. One should also be aware that the fur trade is notorious for falsely labelling items made from the fur of domestic cats and dogs, and indeed one of the false names given to domestic dog fur is Asiatic raccoon dog.
A demo is being held at Allsports HQ in Stockport on Tuesday 26th November.
For details contact CAFT on 07761 533152.
For leaflets on fur trim / general anti-fur please contact CAFT. Also complain direct to Helly Hansen, asking them not to use real fur.
Complaints can be sent to their UK office on phone 0115 960 8797 or e- mail [email protected]
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade PO Box 38, Manchester, M60 1NX, UK Phone: 07761 533152 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.caft.org.uk