The fur industry is incredibly cruel. Animals are farmed, kept in tiny wire cages where they live out their short lives in suffering. Thanks to the hard work of activists and animal rights organizations, changes are being made. Undercover investigations by organizations like Humane Society International, One Voice, and Oikeutta Eläimille have uncovered cruel conditions and absolutely horrible conditions at fur farms in France, Finland, and more.

According to Humane Society International, over 100 million animals are killed each year for their fur and the average life span of an animal farmed for fur is eight months. The wild animals that suffer most in this cruel trade are mink, foxes, raccoons dogs, and more. The cages are small with wire floored cages, which leads to the animals living among carcasses, feces, and urine. When the farmers are ready to kill the animals, the killing methods include gassing and anal electrocution. It’s as severe as it sounds.

Slowly but surely, change is coming. Many popular and big brand fashion houses have officially ditched fur in the last year, like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Versace, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and more! Cities and countries have been standing up to the cruel industry too with Czech Republic and Ireland banning fur farming. Most recently, California became the first state in the United States to officially ban the sale of fur!

Now, the Queen of England, a highly influential monarch is ditching fur! Anyone deciding to stop using fur is making an impact because less people buying fur decreases the demand and can help lead the fur-free world. But the Queen of England isn’t the average person. Queen Elizabeth II has been queen of England since 1952. Millions of people admire her and her support for her as a monarch is only increasing with time.

In an interview with Vogue Magazine, the Queen’s personal advisor and senior dresser, Angela Kelly announced that going forward the queen will be fur-free due to pressure from activists. Kelly says, “If Her Majesty is due to attend an engagement in particularly cold weather, from 2019 onwards fake fur will be used to make sure she stays warm.”

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International/UK told One Green Planet: “We are thrilled that Her Majesty has officially gone fur-free. Queen Elizabeth’s decision to ‘go faux’ is the perfect reflection of the mood of the British public, the vast majority of whom detest cruel fur, and want nothing to do with it. Our Head of State going fur-free sends a powerful message that fur is firmly out of fashion and does not belong with Brand Britain. The UK banned fur farming almost two decades ago because it was deemed too cruel, now we must finish the job and ban fur sales too. We are calling on the British government to follow Her Majesty’s example and make the UK the first country in the world to ban the sale of animal fur.”

This shift in the Queen’s wardrobe is fantastic news for animals that will hopefully spread the powerful message to the rest of the world that fur is outdated and cruel! To urge the rest of the Queen’s country to follow her lead, sign this petition by Humane Society International to make Britain fur free!

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