Humane Society International (HSI) has uncovered extreme animal suffering at numerous fur farms in China, the organization recently shared. 13 fur farms were investigated in November and December of 2020 and numerous violations were found.

The investigation revealed numerous violations of the country’s animal welfare code including farmers selling meat for consumption, animal suffering, and violent electrocution. Raccoon dogs experienced violent electrocution that paralyzed them, but kept them conscious. Foxes were seen pacing and spinning in their cages.

Footage Courtesy of Humane Society International

“Animals on fur farms live in a world of constant fear and suffering, and this latest investigation is further evidence of that,” said Kitty Block, CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States and president of Humane Society International, in an emailed statement. “It’s hard to imagine that anyone still stands by this cruelty in the name of fashion. There is nothing glamorous about electrocuting animals to death. Fur farms have no place in a modern society, and it is essential that we end the fur trade for good.”

China is the largest fur-producing country, with 14 million foxes, 13.5 million raccoon dogs, and over 11 million mink raised in 2019 for fur, according to HSI.

“The animals in this video are being subjected to violent and chaotic electrocution in the body and not in the brain, which means they are highly likely to have experienced several minutes of extreme physical pain and suffering, like heart attack symptoms,” said Professor Alastair MacMillan, HSI’s veterinary adviser in an emailed statement. “Instead of instant death, they are likely to have been immobilized by the electric shocks but remain conscious and feel the intense pain of electrocution.”

Fur farms have been under intense scrutiny during the coronavirus pandemic as many European farms find mink infected with Covid and take steps to shut down farms.

The first infections on Dutch mink fur farms were found in April and the government used the opportunity to take a stance against the industry and call for closing all farms by March 2021. Over a million mink were killed during the pandemic. In Denmark, the government decided to cull around 15 million mink “due to fears that a Covid-19 mutation moving from mink to humans could jeopardise future vaccines.” However, the cull was not completed due to a court order.

Read more about mink and fur farms during coronavirus, including the coronavirus spread through Dutch farms, a million mink killed by Dutch fur farms during coronavirus, and the Dutch government’s previous statement on mink and the coronavirus. 

Sign this petition to ban fur farming in the European Union!

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