[leashedForLife]

Finland is among the most-stringent protectors of animal welfare, so it's disturbing to see that fox-farms there are producing "loose skinned" blue & silver phase Arctic foxes to maximize the size of their pelts.

Just like any domestic dog breed with loose skin & lots of wrinkles, these foxes have dropped haws, eye issues, can have wrinkle dermatitis, etc.

https://retrieverman.net/2017/08/25/loose-skinned-arctic-foxes-being-bred-in-finland/

I personally prefer the old-fashioned BONE MOUTH type of Shar-Pei to the modern version, the so-called MEAT MOUTH -- with massively inflated muzzles, eyes buried in folds of flesh, stenotic nares & stenotic ear-canals, skin / wrinkle infections, skin allergies, prone to ear infections, sinus infections, airway issues / overheating, etc, etc.

Neos, Engl Bulldogs, Engl Mastiffs, Bloodhounds, & many other wrinkley breeds have serious health issues due to their increasing exaggeration - look at photos from a century ago, & U see much cleaner shapes, moderate heads, athletic bodies, open airways...
It's a sin to see their [IMO] deterioration. // The exaggeration of fur-foxes is just another instance of profit in preference to ethics.

- terry

 

[revolutionrocknroll]

Finland is among the most-stringent protectors of animal welfare, so it's disturbing to see that fox-farms there are producing "loose skinned" blue & silver phase Arctic foxes to maximize the size of their pelts.

The exaggeration of fur-foxes is just another instance of profit in preference to ethics.

- terry

Not surprised. Sounds like what factory farms do to basically all of their animals- thinking about chickens in particular- they're so heavy and gain weight so quickly that their legs break, so the farm will have bigger birds to sell to a grocery store. We've bred meat animals for larger size, that produce larger litters (in the case of pigs), and dairy animals that have unnaturally large udders.

Seems like we do it to all of our domestic animals.

Brachycephalic cats and rabbits:
https://icatcare.org/news/charities...s-cats-and-rabbits-it’s-not-just-dogs-we-need

 

[leashedForLife]

yes -
broiler chickens are "full grown" & massive at just 6-WO, & as a direct result of their insane rate of growth, some die; their vital organs, heart, liver, etc, cannot keep pace with the growth of the body they work in.


Thankfully we don't have the crazy monster cattle, hogs, & sheep who grew so huge they couldn't walk, from the post-Victorian era; as it is, "Broad-breasted White" the standard commercial turkey breed, is often unable to walk, let alone fly, as an adult.
Heritage breeds are much more functional, & need all the support they can get, so if U buy a turkey for a holiday, please buy a heritage breed. :thumbsup:

- terry

 

[StormyPeak]

What I find more sad is that there are no laws that make wire bottom cages illegal...can't imagine how hard it is on any animal with paws to have to walk on such torture surfaces.

I am of mixed emotions as far as furs go. If the animals were raised in decent living conditions, with room to move, large areas to lay on grass, climb logs, swin in small pools - have some kind of decent life while alive, and then be killed as quickly and painlessly as possible, I would be fine with furs. A lot of cows get to at least have some time in the pasture, or here in Idaho, even free range up in the mountains, before being rounded up for slaughter...so their quality of life isn't too bad....even if their quantity of life isn't long since many only get a few years.

But unfortunately, just as with those photos of wire bottom cages, most fur animals are confined to small cages, living a monotonous, mind numbing boring life, and then killed sometimes by being strangled to death or having their necks wrung until the bones break. The confinement is also meant to keep the coats in perfect condition...no accidental scratches to the skin, or bite marks from play or fighting because they are around other animals.

Stormy

 

[leashedForLife]

Fur-farms in Finland kill humanely - the animals are 1st unconscious & are then electrocuted. It's quick & painless.

No fur-farmer will let a furbearer in captivity run loose in a pen with other furbearers - that's several steps too far. // It's true their penned lives are unexciting, but they are well-fed & well cared-for; i am not suggesting that life in a small pen is wonderful, but a short well-cared-for life as a captive isn't horrifying; a short bitterly hard wild life that ends with starvation & hypothermia isn't all that happy, either. onder:
Remember the Chinese curse? - "May U live in interesting times."

Wild animals are not bored, it's true; but they're at risk every day, from other animals, the weather, thirst, hunger, parasite load, traumatic injury, contagious disease, any infection - there are no vets out there; diabetes, heart problems... a temporary electrolyte imbalance is fatal in the wild.

I don't know if the fact that fewer skins are needed, thus fewer foxes die for a given garment, is sufficient to justify super-sizing fox skins.
Obviously the fox in the photo is healthy - no apparent issues due to the excess wrinkles. // That these furbearers live in very-cold climes helps reduce the risk of wrinkle dermatitis, as well as external parasites, stinging insects, etc, which can all exacerbate any skin issues.

I also can't tell how irritated the eyes are, from the pic - dropped haws are seen in many breeds, & how much the dog is affected is partly breed / individual variance, & partly environmental: what is the dog around that will inflame their susceptible eyes?
The fur-foxes aren't going to get grass-awns in their eyes while slipping thru the brush... I just don't know. I have a bad feeling about it.

- terry

 

[StormyPeak]

Getting to live, and just 'existing' are two different things. In spite of all the hazards a wild animal can come across, at least they lived a life they evolved to live out.

I still think people rich enough to own furs, should be rich enough to pay an even higher price for furs that came from animals that were allowed to live in a more modern zoo like pen setting rather than just exist in wire bottom cages where all they do is Nothing...day after day after day.

Mink and foxes, which are probably the two most popular fur animals, are highly intelligent and so such confinement, besides being hell on their feet, probably deal with a mental stress too.

This is what disturbs me about the fur industry. The mega rich think nothing of dropping $10,000 to $65,000 for a fur coat. The animals could be given a better life than a cage where they can barely turn around, and have to walk on wire, and the price of coats go up...and those same rich people still won't bat an eye in paying $20,000 to $100,000 for a coat, because it will always be a status/high fashion thing for them.

Stormy