Make Fur History

Each year, more than 3 million animals in Canada are killed for their fur.

It’s unnecessary, inhumane and needs to stop. The majority of fur farmed in Canada is exported and used as fashionable trim on the hoods of jackets, sweaters, gloves and accessories. To obtain this fur, animals are either raised on industrial farms in tiny wire cages before they’re killed by gassing or anal electrocution, or they’re trapped in the wild before being stomped or clubbed to death. After an animal is killed, its skin is removed from the carcass with the fur attached; and since their meat has no value, the remainder of the animal is simply discarded.

The Campaign

In October 2014, we teamed up with The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (APFA) and the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Montreal SPCA) to expose the cruelty that exists in North America’s fur farming industry.

We asked our customers to join the fight against the fur trade and take the pledge to go fur-free online or in our shops by tweeting #makefurhistory with a photo of their favorite fur-bearing animal. We also created a fake website called furdiscounts.com offering “hot deals for hip fur”, where unsuspecting shoppers were surprised with the reality and cruelty of the fur trade.

The Outcome

For this campaign, we filled our shops with stickers and placards to help customers show their support on their personal social channels—and they did. We saw 3,800 posts tagged #furfree and 2,500 posts tagged #makefurhistory, and many customers =took the pledge to go #furfree. We also hosted in-store events for our campaign partners and raised more than $100,000 from the sale of our Charity Pot Hand And Body Lotion during the campaign, which was donated to our campaign partners.

For the first time in Canadian history, a fur farmer was charged with animal cruelty. Visons JNJ Inc is a fur farm where the owner, Jean-Luc Rodier, was charged with 6 counts of animal cruelty and neglect related to approximately 90 foxes, 10, 000 minks and two dogs held captive in the facility. The accused could face up to 18 months in prison and $10,000 in fines for each count, as well as a lifetime ban on having the custody or control of an animal.

Find out how you can take action or learn more at FurBearerDefenders.com or spca.com.