Say no to fur this Christmas

If you’re like most people, then you’ve already started shopping this holiday season. Here I would like to encourage you to read the labels of clothing items such as coats, boots, vests, gloves and hats before making a purchase, because you can help stop violence against animals by not buying real fur or fur trim.

Every year, more than 50 million animals are killed by the fur industry that uses such barbaric methods as suffocation, neck breaking and electrocution. With so many other great natural and synthetic fibers to choose from, this suffering and death simply doesn’t need to occur anymore.

Furthermore, many of us live with cats and dogs that are a part of our everyday lives. We could never imagine turning them into articles of clothing. Other animals such as raccoons, foxes, mink, rabbits and squirrels deserve the same kind of moral consideration. Their lives have inherent value that should not be violated in the name of fashion.

To learn more about what you can do to help, visit www.furkills.org for information on the fur trade. Also, make this the first step toward a cruelty-free lifestyle. Remember, you choose — animals can’t.

John A. Duerk

DeKalb