Upon the touchy subject of furries and real fur.

[Zrcalo]

okay, so I'm a taxidermist. I'll just blurt that out right now.
my first fursuit head had real rabbit fur on it. I own a mink coat, a rabbit fur coat, some rabbit pelts, and I just bought a giant fox pelt on ebay that I'm going to stuff and make into a giant fox plushie pillow.

for me, I absolutely LOVE animals. I have about over 20 animals (mostly birds and 2 cats) and am always accused of being "a cruel and selfish person" for owning furs.

yeah, I inherited my mink coat from my great grandma. psh.
but besides that, I understand the negativities implied about furriers by furries.
mostly about the loss of life for a simple skin. Hence why I try to stay away from farmed furs. Though, I do believe in fair hunt and animals' populations need to be kept in check...

I was wondering how all you furs would feel about me making my giant fox pelt plushie and naming him "foxy" and pretending its my pet.

because I've wanted a fox as a pet, but hell there's no way I'd be responsible enough for a critter like that.

opinions? should all furriers be ousted and condemned?

 

[TheNewfie]

I don't really care as long as you got the furs from a hunter a not some fram.

 

[Unsilenced]

If you have it from inheritance, whatever.

Hunting... well I suppose if it isn't endangered or anything...

I'd still rather that people not buy fur, but won't throw animal blood on them or anything if they do.

 

[Zrcalo]

I don't really care as long as you got the furs from a hunter a not some fram.

yes. I agree with this too... D: I do however have a fox tail I paid $2 for that has sketchy origins, but I would never pay for a farmed pelt. those poor foxes in teeny tiny cages...

even the rabbit pelts I had were wild.

although I dont have a problem with vintage or second hand things. because the money isnt going to the farmers.

I have a rabbit coat I'm trying to restore right now... paid $4 for it at goodwill.

 

[Zrcalo]

If you have it from inheritance, whatever.

Hunting... well I suppose if it isn't endangered or anything...

I'd still rather that people not buy fur, but won't throw animal blood on them or anything if they do.

I really like that in my state they have a "fair hunt" rule. that means anything that isnt a specific pursuit is illegal.

ie; trapping, snaring, or baiting is illegal. because it catches nonspecific targets and isnt fair to the animal.
also, people's cats.

 

[TheNewfie]

yes. I agree with this too... D: I do however have a fox tail I paid $2 for that has sketchy origins, but I would never pay for a farmed pelt. those poor foxes in teeny tiny cages...

even the rabbit pelts I had were wild.

although I dont have a problem with vintage or second hand things. because the money isnt going to the farmers.

I have a rabbit coat I'm trying to restore right now... paid $4 for it at goodwill.

What about snaring?

 

[Armaetus]

I really don't give a shit what happens on the farms because 1) Not a fox character, 2) Not a PETA wacko and 3) not an animal lover.

 

[Zrcalo]

What about snaring?

didnt buy it in my state... but funny thing. there are holes in 'em. looks like buckshot.

@_@ ok. so I bought them from some hillbillies in kentucky for $3 each. home tanned. rather crappily, but they have an interesting pattern.
it was my souvenier.

collecting dead animals prevents me for hoarding alive ones.

 

[TheNewfie]

didnt buy it in my state... but funny thing. there are holes in 'em. looks like buckshot.

@_@ ok. so I bought them from some hillbillies in kentucky for $3 each. home tanned. rather crappily, but they have an interesting pattern.
it was my souvenier.

collecting dead animals prevents me for hoarding alive ones.

just to be clear you know what snaring is right? i.e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBnOFX8mGjE

hope that video does't start a shit storm

 

[Randy-Darkshade]

okay, so I'm a taxidermist. I'll just blurt that out right now.
my first fursuit head had real rabbit fur on it. I own a mink coat, a rabbit fur coat, some rabbit pelts, and I just bought a giant fox pelt on ebay that I'm going to stuff and make into a giant fox plushie pillow.

for me, I absolutely LOVE animals. I have about over 20 animals (mostly birds and 2 cats) and am always accused of being "a cruel and selfish person" for owning furs.

yeah, I inherited my mink coat from my great grandma. psh.
but besides that, I understand the negativities implied about furriers by furries.
mostly about the loss of life for a simple skin. Hence why I try to stay away from farmed furs. Though, I do believe in fair hunt and animals' populations need to be kept in check...

I was wondering how all you furs would feel about me making my giant fox pelt plushie and naming him "foxy" and pretending its my pet.

because I've wanted a fox as a pet, but hell there's no way I'd be responsible enough for a critter like that.

opinions? should all furriers be ousted and condemned?

Not something I would agree with, especially if it was farmed furrs, I don't agree with killing an animal just for the furcoat, however I know some people choose to have their pets stuffed when they pass on. I am not the typew of person to hate someone because of an interest they have, if you want to make a stuffed fox plushie, go for it.

 

[xcliber]

Personally, I'm a little split on the issue. We kill hundreds of animals for food, leather, etc. I think it's ok to use real fur, as long as you also use the rest of the animal too, or didn't kill it just so you could get its fur.

I do think that killing an animal is cruel since it has just as much right (or more in some cases >.>) to live and be free as any human. The only exception being for food. Simple as that. We have to kill other animals to eat and live (Food Chain). And a bullet to the head is far more humane that being mauled to death by another animal. (In the case where a rabbit encounters a carnivore larger than itself)

So yeah, whatever. Just remember what we, as humans, did to animals when aliens or our robot overlords decide to harvest humans for energy. If we have the right to do that to animals, then they most certainly have the right to do that to us. They are the dominant and most powerful species after all. (well maybe not the robots, but whatever. that's not the point)

 

[Geek]

- Real fur doesnt really bother me.
- Fake fur should only be bought instead of real.

 

[Lobo Roo]

I think it's ridiculous. We don't NEED to kill animals for their fur - before mass production of clothing? Sure. Now, there's no point. Wear fake fur if you think fur looks good, otherwise, what's the point?

Sure, I would say it's fine if the animal was treated correctly - wild killed, and not killed JUST for it's fur, but using all parts of the animal. However, that's not where most fur comes from, and even I find that pretty pointless. Why do you want to wear the carcass of another animal? It's disgusting. If my dog died, I wouldn't skin it and wear it as a coat.


On the note of hunting to keep the population in check - trust me, nature does just fine on it's own. There's checks and balances in nature that don't include some idiot with a shotgun out shooting animals because he thinks it's macho. I eat hunted meat, and if you hunt only for the wild game meat, I think that's cool. Hunting for sport is just stupid.

 

[WatchfulStorm]

As many others are saying, I feel it's ok if it's hunted and not farmed. Also, the animal shouldn't have only been killed for it's fur. If you kill it, you should eat it.

 

[lupinealchemist]

Don't know if I should say this but, my father is a seasonal fur trapper. I don't care for him mainly because he's an alcoholic, drug abusing redneck. I got annoyed when he showed me a dead coyote last christmas. Setting traps one day then days later claim your spoils. Any that are still alive you kill with a .22 revolver, mercy killing or execution, you decide. I know this because I've done it one season long time ago.

 

[Zrcalo]

I think it's ridiculous. We don't NEED to kill animals for their fur - before mass production of clothing? Sure. Now, there's no point. Wear fake fur if you think fur looks good, otherwise, what's the point?

Sure, I would say it's fine if the animal was treated correctly - wild killed, and not killed JUST for it's fur, but using all parts of the animal. However, that's not where most fur comes from, and even I find that pretty pointless. Why do you want to wear the carcass of another animal? It's disgusting. If my dog died, I wouldn't skin it and wear it as a coat.


On the note of hunting to keep the population in check - trust me, nature does just fine on it's own. There's checks and balances in nature that don't include some idiot with a shotgun out shooting animals because he thinks it's macho. I eat hunted meat, and if you hunt only for the wild game meat, I think that's cool. Hunting for sport is just stupid.

well, for one because of what man has done to nature, deer populations NEED to be kept in check, or they'd starve themselves by overpopulation.

also, might just be me but; I feel a connection to dead animals just as I feel connected to alive ones. one of the reasons why I got the fox pelt was to treat it as a pampered pet. (yeah I'm fucking insane) I even have a styrofoam insulated box that I bought for it that I labeled "foxy's home". I think it's almost like when you're a kid and you name your stuffed animals and play with them and they have their own personalities.
then again, I've been playing with dead animals for years. I actually have a good number of my pets stuffed. (all birds) and that is why I learned taxidermy in the first place. I actually respect the dead animals.

 

[Zrcalo]

Don't know if I should say this but, my father is a seasonal fur trapper. I don't care for him mainly because he's an alcoholic, drug abusing redneck. I got annoyed when he showed me a dead coyote last christmas. Setting traps one day then days later claim your spoils. Any that are still alive you kill with a .22 revolver, mercy killing or execution, you decide. I know this because I've done it one season long time ago.

yeah, I've seen pretty ugly things. even animals being skinned alive and their still alive bodies being tossed aside as they writhe in pain.

and yes, it is very hard to tell which is humanely shot and killed and which suffered incredible merciless slaughter, if not impossible. Hence why alot of people tend to stay away from real fur at all.

if it were up to me, I'd prefer to shoot and kill my own animals. even farm them. because I would know they had a good fulfilling life before being humanely put down.

*cough* I raise chickens. they taste good.

 

[icecold24]

Because of the advent of artificial fur, I'm not particularly keen on using real fur for anything under any circumstances.

 

[Icarus]

I, personally, don't agree with it.
But if it's from hunted game and it's dead (instead of skinned alive like in certain furring farms) then there's really nothing bad about it. Early humans used skins and pelts from their game animals in order to keep them warm during winter, to make houses, and to make tapestries. So in a way, we owe the hunted animals our lives in a lot of cases (early human based).
But still, since times have changed and we now have the technology to synthesize a fur-like polymer that has roughly the same feel as animal fur I find it appalling that most furring farms are still in existence. We don't need theirs anymore, we have evolved our brains to the point where we have found a need and filled it via technology. It's unnecessary for animal lives to continue to die for the sake of wearing fur.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Nargle]

Fur farms are plain cruel, and I don't agree with them. However, I don't mind hunted fur, so long as the animals being hunted aren't a crucial part of the ecosystem, and their absence won't upset the balance of the ecosystem. One such animal I can think of is wolves. In many places, the deer population is getting out of control, and wolves (And hunters) are necessary to keep their numbers under control so they don't creep into human territory and destroy their forests. In such places, the number of wolves is dwindling already, so they shouldn't be hunted. However, animals like rabbits and such, I don't mind. Oh yeah, and they have to be humanely hunted and killed.

Also, I find it retarded how most people that will exclaim that you are a cruel, selfish jerk for wearing fur will also be eating a hamburger and walking/driving away in his leather boots and leather car seats.

But yeah, I prefer faux fur for projects, but I don't even really like fur (Real or fake) in general. Just my preference. I prefer wood and soft leather for furniture, and leather/cloth clothing.

 

[Deleted member 3615]

*deleted post*

 

[Zrcalo]

It's 2009 AD not 2009 BC

brb let me get my babylon slaves.

 

[KirbyCowFox]

I'm against fur farms, but I really don't see a big problem with animals being killed for their fur. I, myself, own a rabbit pelt bought from a thrift store. Hopefully one day I'll be able to get a possum taxi plush commissioned from this one girl I met on deviantart.

 

[Zrcalo]

I'm against fur farms, but I really don't see a big problem with animals being killed for their fur. I, myself, own a rabbit pelt bought from a thrift store. Hopefully one day I'll be able to get a possum taxi plush commissioned from this one girl I met on deviantart.

a taxidermy plush?
that's what I plan on doing with my fox!

 

[onewingedweasel]

I love real fur.
I also like taxidermy. I think its an awesome art form.
Id prefer fur was only from hunted, well treated and/or animals also used for food but not enough to protest it, or not wear it.