Many people wish that all the chinese that lives on that disgusting trade will all die of hunger and with terrible suffering just like the dogs and cats they are skinning alive.
On January 1st, 2009 has become effective the European Union ban on the import, export and trade of cat and dog fur .
The ban, spurred by international outrage about images of dogs and cats being callously killed for their fur, was passed by a unanimous vote of the European Parliament on June 19, 2007.
Italy, Denmark, Belgium, France and Greece individually banned dog and cat fur a few years ago, sparking a wave of public pressure for an EU-wide prohibition. In December 2005, EU Commissioner Markos Kyprianou pledged to ban dog and cat fur. A massive letter-writing campaign and petition drive followed, placing pressure on the EU to act quickly. The European Union currently has 27 members and several more in consideration for membership.
"Every year, the fur of millions of cats and dogs in China and other parts of Asia is made into garments and exported for sale in other countries," said Mark Glover, director of Humane Society International in the United Kingdom. "The ban will ensure that EU citizens are not unknowingly contributing to this gruesome and cruel practice."
In the late 1990s, Humane Society International and The HSUS conducted an 18-month investigation into China's fur industry. Evidence was obtained that the fur of dogs and cats were used to make garments that were exported to foreign markets. Investigators captured unsettling images that included a German shepherd dog being skinned alive in public view and cats being slowly strangled to death in front of their terrified cagemates.
HSI/HSUS investigators found garments made with dog or cat fur on sale in Australia, Europe and the United States; these were often falsely labeled (as other animals or even as "fake fur") likely because consumers would refuse to purchase the fur of companion animals.
The import, export and sale of dog and cat fur was banned in the United States in 2000 as a result of the undercover HSI/HSUS investigations, and Australia followed with its own ban shortly thereafter.
In China, a country which has no animal welfare laws, dogs, cats, raccoon dogs and other animals are openly and legally slaughtered often in cruel ways. China is the largest exporter of fur in the world. By closing foreign markets for dog and cat fur, Chinese fur businesses will have fewer places to market their products.
It is hoped that this ban will push the Chinese authorities to initiate strong animal welfare laws and tough enforcement.
Source: HSUS
