Dierenactivisten demonstreren bij enige bonthandelaar, RK Furs, in noordoosten Pennsylvania (VS) - Voorbijgangers in Nanticoke reageren positief

Animal rights supporters protest at Nanticoke

furrier

Voice of the Animals members target RK Furs, the region’s last furrier, in a demonstration held across from the Kirmar Street store.

28-11-2009 By Rory Sweeney rsweeney@timesleader.com, Staff Writer, The Times Leader, USA


NANTICOKE – Seven animal rights proponents eschewed shopping on Black Friday to instead deter the purchase of fur, but the impact of their protest was open to interpretation.

From left, Voice of the Animals group members Jessyca Horst, Eric Williams, Silvie Pomicter, Melinda Dugan and Pat Marks protest near RK Furs in Nanticoke Friday. The furrier is the only one operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Don Carey/The Times Leader

On one side, a variety of motorists passing on Kirmar Street, including the driver of a Newport Township ambulance, honked their approval of the Voice of the Animals members. Several people even pulled up to give up fur coats, which the group will be donating to orphaned and rehabilitating wildlife.

On the other side, some – primarily men in pickup trucks – offered only derogatory gestures or suggestions that the protesters should “get a life.”
One gentleman even drove by twice, honking to attract attention to furs lying across the bow of the fishing boat he was towing.

Through it all, the employees and the few visitors across the street at RK Furs, the region’s last furrier and the target of the protest, seemed to disregard the clamor. A few faces appeared at the door to observe the protesters, but no one engaged them.

Either way, the group felt it had imparted its message: While its members have been focusing on other cruelty issues in recent years, they hadn’t forgotten about fur.
“We had almost succeeded in closing all of the local furriers in the 1990s,” Melinda Dugan said. “Guess what? We didn’t go anywhere. Here we are – 20 years older.”

The protesters are particularly concerned about the methods used to procure the fur. From anal electrocution to trapping and clubbing, the animals often die in gruesome ways, they said. In countries such as China, where animals are strangled, strung up and skinned, they aren’t always dead before their skins are removed.

“They squirm around on the hooks, so they’re alive,” said Jessyca Horst.
“There’s very little oversight. … If they would be treated humanely,” said Karen Kepic, “there would be no problem.”

She cited as an example of smaller farms, where animals see daylight, are raised kindly and are slaughtered quickly with as little discomfort to the animal as possible.

China is also notorious for obscuring the origin of its fur. “Even if it says it’s man-made fur, if it’s from China, it’s questionable,” Dugan said. The members noted two bills being considered by federal legislators that would require accurate labeling of fur items.

She also questioned why, in an age of constant technological advancements in fabrics and resource procurement, steel traps are still used to capture animals.

(Bron: http://www.timesleader.com/)
(Bron foto: Times Leader)