Skinned Alive

When undercover investigators made their way onto Chinese fur farms recently,
they found that many animals are still alive and struggling desperately when workers
flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them. When
workers on these farms begin to cut the skin and fur from an animal's leg, the free
limbs kick and writhe. Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who
struggle too hard to allow a clean cut. When the fur is finally peeled off over the
animals' heads, their naked, bloody bodies are thrown onto a pile of those who have
gone before them. Some are still alive, breathing in ragged gasps and blinking slowly.
Some of the animals' hearts are still beating five to 10 minutes after they are skinned.
One investigator recorded a skinned raccoon dog on the heap of carcasses who had
enough strength to lift his bloodied head and stare into the camera.

Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground;
workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken
bones and convulsions but not always immediate death. Animals watch helplessly as workers
make their way down the row.

Background

Undercover investigators from Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International recently
toured fur farms in China's Hebei Province, and it quickly became clear why outsiders
are banned from visiting. There are no regulations governing fur farms in China—farmers
can house and slaughter animals however they see fit—meaning miserable lives and
excruciating deaths. The investigators found horrors beyond their worst imaginings and
concluded, "Conditions on Chinese fur farms make a mockery of the most elementary
animal welfare standards. In their lives and their unspeakable deaths, these animals have
been denied even the simplest acts of kindness."

On these farms, foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire
cages, exposed to driving rain, freezing nights, and, at other times, scorching sun. Mother
animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have
nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters. Disease
and injuries are widespread, and animals suffering from anxiety-induced psychosis chew
on their own limbs and throw themselves repeatedly against the cage bars.

Is there a skeleton in your closet?

The globalization of the fur trade has made it impossible to know where fur products come
from. Skins move through international auction houses and are purchased and distributed to
manufacturers around the world, and finished goods are often exported. China supplies more
than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Even if a fur
garment's label says it was made in a European country, the animals were likely raised and
slaughtered elsewhere—possibly on an unregulated Chinese fur farm.

Because a fur's origin can't be traced, anyone who wears any fur at all shares the blame for the
horrific conditions on Chinese fur farms. The only way to prevent such unimaginable cruelty is
never to wear any fur. Take PETA's pledge to be fur-free today!