Unlike any of you, I grew up on a Fur Ranch, so I'm going to give my opinion, one with substance instead of tears or bloated masculinity.
My Grandfather, my mother's father, is the current President of the American Mink Council, a faction of the North American Fur Association. For the last 30+ years, he, along with my Grandmother, and then their two sons, have made a living out of the harvesting of mink & fox in Western Pennsylvania. Some of my earliest memories of life are wandering through the sheds and barns, inhaling the scent of the animals, amazed by their little lives. I've worked long, hot summers there, and bitter cold winters as well. I've fed, given water to, caught, killed, skinned, prepared those pelts...you name it. I've listened to the conversations I've had with my grandparents about the industry, the business, the difficulties, the struggles, the pride involved in doing what they do. I don't think any of you can say that. I've lived the life of a fur farmer...and it's not easy.
You know what the truth is? Fur ranching is no different from any occupation out there. Every morning, my 72-year old grandfather crawls out of bed with the sunrise, a hip needing replaced, carpal tunnel-ravaged wrists, hands, fingers, and arthritis ravaging his joints. My grandmother is not far behind, and they walk down to the farm, just like anyone else goes to their job, to begin their long, long day.
There's a lot that goes into managing a fur ranch. My grandfather is a genius. He's done a lot with his life...worked the coal mines, was a musician, an artist, a school-bus driver on the side, and now, for the last half of his life, a fur rancher. A businessman. Just making a living for him, his wife, his sons & daughters, his grandchildren. He works as hard or harder than anyone else I know...I'm 21 years old, a solidly-built young man and my pap will outwork me any day of the week.
I don't want to forget to mention that my grandparents and my uncles and their families are some of the nicest and most caring people I've ever met. Now you might think I'm saying that because they're family. This isn't true. I've met a lot of people in my short life, people from all over the world, from all kinds of backgrounds, from all walks of life. But I can genuinely tell you that I don't know more compassionate, more selfless, more hard-working and more well-rounded people than my family that's involved in the fur ranching industry.
PETA really angers me. The AFL angers me. They destroy people's livelihoods. It's like me taking out Honda dealerships so American companies can make more money. They're so outrageous, so flamboyant, so full of **** that it's not even funny.
You want to know what they've got right? The sizes of the cages some of these animals live in. That's about it. Everything else you read about is nearly a lie. I've spent hundreds of my days with these animals. I can honestly tell you that their living conditions are better than a lot of humans. They are fed continuously, at the same intervals, large heapings of feed, good, quality, nutritious food mixes. They're given plenty of water...in the hot days of summer, farm laborers...often young kids trying to make an extra buck...drag a rubber hose around a 20 acre farm 4 times a day to make sure the mink and fox have enough water. They're kept in pens, which are attached to boxes that have soft wood shavings for bedding. Their pens are cleaned out every summer and winter. Boxes have to be continuously repaired so they don't injure themselves or their coats. Each male mink has his own large-sized box & pen...a female one similar, although she will share her's with her young until they've grown to a size large enough to be separated, where they live in a pen & box with one other sibling. Their excrement is always being removed. The rows & rows of pens are housed under sheds that keep the hot sun from them and the cold snow off them in the winter.
One of the biggest arguments is the method of death imposed on these animals. I read on PETA's site how a fox or other animal remains alive after the inflicted method, "suffering excruciating pain" blah blah blah. HOW THE **** DO THEY KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE??? It's complete bull****. Most mink are killed by gas inhalation. What happens is simple...the gas makes them slowly pass out, where eventually its potency causes death. Basically....they fall asleep and never wake up. If all of us were so lucky...
As for fox and the "rectal electrocution", this too is bull****. Once electrocuted, there is no feeling in the animal. It's as quick as a flick of the finger. They don't "endure a heart attack for five minutes" and that other bull**** that PETA tries to pass off. Don't let them blow the smoke up your skirt.
Fact is, the industry got hammered by hippies everywhere and so they changed. The old-timers may still break a neck here or there, but a lot of times it's so much quicker for the animal and safe for the handler.
I think it's very unfair what groups like PETA have inspired. About 6 years ago, my grandparents had to put their farm on the line just to finance security measures to safeguard attacks from groups like the ALF. I'm talking fences, barbed-wire, guards, dogs...this amidst one of the lowest periods of profit for fur ranchers worldwide. All to make a living. No retirement. No benefits. No pension plan or 401k. No vacations...definitely no vacations. Travel. Stress. And hard, hard work. My grandparents, well into their 70's, still wake up every morning to work that farm wiht my uncles. They hobble moreso than walk now, but they get there. When they pass, my uncles will pick up their reigns, and so on and so on. I applaud and respect unrelentlessy my grandparents for their hardwork and the legacy they've started and for the people they are. I cannot say the same for most of the other people I know in life...no matter what they make a career out of.
If anyone has REAL questions about the fur ranching industry, please feel free to ask....I'll be more than willing to give you a look from the inside.
BUY FUR!
Thanks.
Since it seems he's so comfortable with murdering.
