Bob Barker, Moby, and Ricky Gervais back anti-fur campaign

A fox on a Polish fur farm is dragged from a barren mesh cage by his tail and hung upside down. The fur farmer then smacks the fox in the face with an electric probe, forcing the animal to bite onto it in a desperate attempt to defend himself. He is electrocuted and tossed with a thud, seemingly lifeless, onto a cart.

However, as ADI’s hidden cameras record more animals being killed, the fox begins to stir among the other dead foxes, finally slipping off the cart and making a run for it. The swearing farmer finally recaptures the fox and again hangs the animal upside down by a hind leg. But now the fox knows what will happen and tries to avoid the probe, clamping his mouth shut and twisting, as the fur farmer hits him in the face. The fox eventually bites the probe and dies.

Similar footage of botched electrocutions on a US fur farm show problem is industry wide. The new footage demolishes fur industry claims that killing on fur farms is quick, efficient and humane.

VIDEO - Fur: Never Humane https://youtu.be/CeKFm2pmmBo

Electrocution is the fur industry standard for killing foxes, the website of a coalition from the Fur industry of America and Canada entitled “The Truth About Fur”, boldly claims “100% of the animals are dead within 10 seconds”.

Bob Barker: “Many years ago I helped make ‘The Price Is Right’ among the very first shows to not allow fur coats as prizes. We’ve come a long way in making the world more humane for animals, but as you can see in the absolutely horrific treatment of foxes on ADI’s undercover video, we have a long way to go. Fur is never fashionable. Please don’t buy fur.”

Moby: “The scale of suffering is immense but we have the power to help the millions of animals caged and killed for their fur each year. Join Animal Defenders International and make a difference.”

Ricky Gervais: “Fashion is a form of escapism for many but for the animals, imprisoned and denied their most basic needs, death is the only escape. It doesn’t have to be this way – save lives by going fur-free and supporting ADI.”

ADI President, Jan Creamer: “These animals live miserable lives in extreme confinement and are killed in front of each other. They know what is going to happen and desperately cling to the cage as they are dragged out. One fox regains consciousness after electrocution. He is grabbed, hung upside down and tries to avoid the electric probe, the farmer hits his face with the probe until he bites and is electrocuted.”

Each year 110 million animals are killed on fur farms where the animals’ living conditions alone – small, bare, mesh cages – show no regard for the welfare of the animals. Over 15 million foxes are killed in a year, usually for trinkets, trims and accessories but up to 35 foxes can be used to make a single fur coat.

Examples of botched killings filmed by ADI on the Polish fur farm include:

• After electrocution, a fox regains consciousness among dead foxes and makes a run for it. He is recaptured. Then, hanging upside down, he tries to avoid the electric probe, so is poked and hit until he bites it.
• In another killing on the farm, a fox is clearly still breathing after electrocution and is hung up and electrocuted again.
• A conscious fox was left hanging by a back foot, and struggled for nearly two minutes while the farmer answered his phone.
• Foxes were heard screaming or yelping when the electric probe went into their mouths; when the animals did not fully bite down, the farmer had to make additional attempts to kill them.

ADI evidence from twenty years ago from a fox farm in Roanoke, Illinois reveals similar crude methods of electrocuting foxes with botched deaths being commonplace. Around the world and in all those years, the fur industry sadly has not changed.

Jan Creamer: “Anyone who buys fur, buys cruelty. There is no escaping the terrible lives and horrific deaths of these animals whose beauty is their ticket to a lifetime of suffering and painful death. Fur is a product of pain and terror.”

ADI have also released a short video, following the lives of two foxes Borys and Eryk, on a fur farm. VIDEO - Fur: A Lifetime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W7vhKd_6lQ

INDUSTRY CLAIMS ABOUT KILLING ON FUR FARMS

“Electrocution is used in poultry, it’s used in pigs, it’s used in foxes, and the training and the testing has shown that 100% of the animals are dead within 10 seconds.” The Truth About Fur

Fur Europe: “many people…often believe that cruel killing practices are used, which is very far from the truth……. In practice, animals are euthanized by either gas (CO2) or electricity, thus avoiding unnecessary pain and stopping heart function quickly.”