PETA Protests Canada Goose Opening At Short Hills Mall

SHORT HILLS, NJ — Hefting signs that read “Fur is Dead,” a group of activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) led a rally inside The Mall At Short Hills on Friday morning at a grand opening event for Canada Goose’s new store.

PETA tweeted news of the protest as it happened on Friday:

“PETA supporters gather outside @CanadaGooseInc's grand opening of its new store at The Mall at Short Hills in #NewJersey to BE LOUD for coyotes & geese who suffer and are killed for its jackets.”

PETA included photos that showed a small group of activists holding signs that read “Fur is Dead” and “Canada Goose Kills.” (Story continues below photo)

“Every Canada Goose coat represents the suffering of coyotes who were caught in painful steel traps and geese whose throats were slit,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman stated in a news release about the Short Hills mall protest. “PETA is calling on shoppers to refuse to give a dime to this cruel company until it stops tormenting and killing sensitive animals.”

Friday’s event was part of the international performance luxury apparel company’s expansion into the United States. The Short Hills location is its fourth in the U.S. It’s one of the first Canada Goose stores in North America to offer a “Cold Room” where guests can try out parkas in temperatures as low as -13°F.

• See related article: Canada Goose's New Store At Short Hills Mall To Have 'Cold Room'

The company was founded "in a small warehouse" in Toronto, Canada in 1957. It employs more than 2,700 people worldwide. Other U.S. stores are located in New York, Boston and Chicago.

According to the company’s website:

“We understand and respect that some people think animal products should never be used in any consumer products, however we do not share that view. We are committed to providing full transparency about how we make our products, including the ethical sourcing and responsible use of animal products.”

Videos from the company explaining its sourcing and use of animal products can be seen below.

WHY IS PETA PROTESTING?

PETA has charged that Canada Goose “misleads the public by claiming that the birds it uses for down get freedom from fear, pain, distress, and physical discomfort.”

According to PETA:

“As if it weren’t bad enough for outerwear company Canada Goose to use fur trim from coyotes caught in steel traps and shot or bludgeoned to death, we now know that the company is filling its jackets with down from abused birds. A PETA eyewitness exposé of a Canada Goose down supplier reveals that workers rounded up panicked geese, grabbing and carrying them by the neck, as they struggled with their entire weight hanging from their necks, and crammed them into densely packed cages for transport to slaughter. Some geese were left in the feces-covered crates for up to 24 hours without food or water, including during a trip down the highway to the slaughterhouse lasting over five hours.”

Watch a video from the PETA investigation below. WARNING: Video contains graphic footage. Viewer discretion is advised.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Millburn-Short Hills Facebook page here. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: PETA, Twitter (used with permission)