There's a reason rabbits have those strong back legsà ‚¬"to dash about. All my rabbits would make crazy dashes around the house and do 180-degree turns in the air, joyfully kicking out their legs.
On the fur farm that PETA Asia's staff visited, hundreds of rabbits were individually packed into cages not much bigger than their own bodies, all of them freezing in the cold. Each cage, one after another, row upon row, contained one solitary rabbit, living all alone.
When most people envision fur farms, they probably think about the animals' terrifying slaughter, and it is horrible. PETA Asia's staff documented workers pulling terrified rabbits from their cages and twisting their headsà ‚¬"breaking their necks but not killing them. These rabbits, still alive and convulsing, were tossed into barrels like pieces of trash.
But I also think about the extreme boredom and loneliness that those rabbits, housed all alone, had to endure, day after day, month after month, until they were finally killed. Rabbits can be shy, but they are not solitary animals. They all love to be stroked and spoken to gently, and they want to be part of the family.
With so many Americans worrying about losing their jobs or keeping up with their monthly mortgage payments, flaunting real fur right now is a bit tacky, to say the least. It's little wonder that fashion editors are pushing fake fur this season. But, for the sake of rabbits everywhere, I hope that women will continue to "fake it" long after the recession is over. Cruelty is never in fashion.
Robyn Wesley is the senior editor of Publications for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; http://www.PETA.org.
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