Stop the Slaughter of Newborn Lambs for Fashion!

A fatal, fetal, fashion faux-pas...

  Apparently the phrase "compassionate consumer" isn't in the vocabulary of high-end fashion, where "Astrakhan" fur and fur-trimmed products have become all the rage.  What is "astrakhan", you ask?  Well, as phrased by the Humane Society (HSUS): "What that term means is not exactly clear - it could refer to the fur of newborn Persian or karakul lambs or it could refer to broadtail fur taken from fetal lambs (or generally refer to both) but whatever its exact definition, astrakhan boils down to one thing: early death for lambs, often even death for fetal lambs and their mothers."  

  The soft, shiny, dark, tightly curled lamb's fur resembles crushed velvet or watered silk, misleading consumers, who are generally unaware of the material's horrific origin.  Within days of the lamb's birth, the fur begins to lighten and uncurl, making the youngest pelts the most valuable.  



  This means pelts are often harvested from unborn fetuses, many times killing the mother, along with her unborn baby, in the process.  Those in the industry and trade claim that the pelts are harvested from stillborn fetuses, but a HSUS investigation in 2000(http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/mary_wore_a_little_lamb_an_investigation_into_karakul_lamb_fur/) revealed otherwise, with horrifying abuses witnessed by undercover investigators and documented on videotape.  Some of these abuses include farmhands holding down a pregnant ewe, slitting her throat, then slicing open her belly and womb to retrieve the unborn fetus.  They were also videotaped harvesting pelts and discarding the tiny carcasses, further nullifying claims that the slaughter is driven by the meat industry.

  So what do the companies who profit from this industry have to say about all of this?  These are some of the responses I received to my (very polite) letters asking retailers to stop selling Karakul products:


     "Saks Fifth Avenue strives to provide a wide array of
     merchandise that serves the tastes of our diverse customer
     base.  We believe that it is the privilege of our clientele to
     make personal decisions in this matter."

     "As an established retailer of premium apparel and accessories,
     it is our responsibility to make available to our customers an
     extremely broad selection of merchandise, all of which may
     not appeal to every customer's taste."

     "Neiman Marcus does not endorse the wearing of fur,
     other than simply making it available to those customers
     who choose to purchase it."

  Please join the boycott of these retailers and designers who sell Karakul (also known as Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, Persian lamb, swakara and krimmer), and continue to knowingly profit from the suffering and deaths of infant and fetal lambs, and their mothers!

For more information, please visit these HSUS websites:

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/astrakhan_hot_new_fashion.html

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/mary_wore_a_little_lamb_an_investigation_into_karakul_lamb_fur/

A fatal, fetal, fashion faux-pas...

  Apparently the phrase "compassionate consumer" isn't in the vocabulary of high-end fashion, where "Astrakhan" fur and fur-trimmed products have become all the rage.  What is "astrakhan", you ask?  Well, as phrased by the Humane Society (HSUS): "What that term means is not exactly clear - it could refer to the fur of newborn Persian or karakul lambs or it could refer to broadtail fur taken from fetal lambs (or generally refer to both) but whatever its exact definition, astrakhan boils down to one thing: early death for lambs, often even death for fetal lambs and their mothers."  

  The soft, shiny, dark, tightly curled lamb's fur resembles crushed velvet or watered silk, misleading consumers, who are generally unaware of the material's horrific origin.  Within days of the lamb's birth, the fur begins to lighten and uncurl, making the youngest pelts the most valuable.  



  This means pelts are often harvested from unborn fetuses, many times killing the mother, along with her unborn baby, in the process.  Those in the industry and trade claim that the pelts are harvested from stillborn fetuses, but a HSUS investigation in 2000(http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/mary_wore_a_little_lamb_an_investigation_into_karakul_lamb_fur/) revealed otherwise, with horrifying abuses witnessed by undercover investigators and documented on videotape.  Some of these abuses include farmhands holding down a pregnant ewe, slitting her throat, then slicing open her belly and womb to retrieve the unborn fetus.  They were also videotaped harvesting pelts and discarding the tiny carcasses, further nullifying claims that the slaughter is driven by the meat industry.

  So what do the companies who profit from this industry have to say about all of this?  These are some of the responses I received to my (very polite) letters asking retailers to stop selling Karakul products:


     "Saks Fifth Avenue strives to provide a wide array of
     merchandise that serves the tastes of our diverse customer
     base.  We believe that it is the privilege of our clientele to
     make personal decisions in this matter."

     "As an established retailer of premium apparel and accessories,
     it is our responsibility to make available to our customers an
     extremely broad selection of merchandise, all of which may
     not appeal to every customer's taste."

     "Neiman Marcus does not endorse the wearing of fur,
     other than simply making it available to those customers
     who choose to purchase it."

  Please join the boycott of these retailers and designers who sell Karakul (also known as Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, Persian lamb, swakara and krimmer), and continue to knowingly profit from the suffering and deaths of infant and fetal lambs, and their mothers!

For more information, please visit these HSUS websites:

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/astrakhan_hot_new_fashion.html

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/mary_wore_a_little_lamb_an_investigation_into_karakul_lamb_fur/

We the undersigned intend to boycott retailers and designers who continue to sell products made of, or including, Karakul fur (also known as Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, Persian lamb, swakara and krimmer).  Although we respect the retailers' intention to provide consumers with a variety of choices, we believe that the slaughter of day-old and fetal lambs, sometimes involving the death of the mothers, as well, in the name of high fashion is unacceptable, and we refuse to support any company that profits from this industry.  Please consider changing your policy to exclude these products and materials, as it is our hope that we may patronize your companies in the future, guilt-free.  Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.