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FOUR PAWS on Early Avian Influenza Surge

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FOUR PAWS on Early Avian Influenza Surge

Mass killings are mere symptom control

This year’s avian influenza season started unusually early and at an alarming rate, with outbreaks reported in the United States, Japan, and several European countries, where unprecedented levels for this time of the year have been observed. The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain is also suspected to have reached Australia for the first time, following the discovery of hundreds of dead seal pups on sub-Antarctic Heard Island. The rapid spread has sparked fears of a new avian influenza crisis. Since the avian influenza season began in October, the virus has taken a heavy toll on animals, resulting in the mass killing of hundreds of thousands of poultry birds worldwide and a significant loss of wildlife. According to data from the World Organisation for Animal Health, approximately 907,222 poultry birds either died or were killed due to the highly pathogenic virus in September, most of them in the Americas.

“It is deeply concerning that mass killings of animals have become the new normal in the fight against avian influenza. To truly end the suffering, we must move beyond symptom control and address the root causes of the problem. Fur farming and factory farming are breeding grounds for pandemics: overcrowded, cruel and unhygienic conditions accelerate the transmission, circulation, and mutation of viruses, like highly pathogenic avian influenza. We urgently need to reduce the number of farmed animals and end fur farming. Transitioning to smaller farms with higher animal welfare standards can lower disease risks, limit killings, animal suffering and financial loss for farmers,”

-Nina Jamal, responsible for Global Affairs at FOUR PAWS

While biosecurity, monitoring and surveillance, movement control and vaccinations are important tools to contain outbreaks of avian influenza, they don’t address the underlying causes, the global animal welfare organisation emphasises.

Data indicates that the intensification of farming since 1940 has been linked to more than half of all zoonotic diseases in humans. “To protect human and animal health, prevention at the source is key. We urge all governments to sign, ratify and implement the Pandemic Agreement after it is open for signature. By embracing the One Health approach, the Pandemic Agreement represents the first legally binding instrument to recognise the deep interconnection between human, environmental health and animal welfare. It captures binding commitments to help prevent the spillover of pathogens, before humans and animals suffer,” adds Jamal.

Source: FOUR PAWS

Woolrich: Still Ignoring Animal Cruelty

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© FOUR PAWS | Fred Dott

Woolrich: Still Ignoring Animal Cruelty

The last big outdoor brand to sell fur from raccoon dogs and other species – Will Woolrich’s Arctic Parkas soon be without animal fur?

Woolrich is one of the last international fashion brands without a fur-free policy even though most of its competitors – including Canada Goose, The North Face, Parajumpers, Patagonia, Fjällräven, MAMMUT, Jack Wolfskin and Napapijri – are already or have gone fur-free. Fur production is cruel to animals, bad for the environment, a risk to public health and completely unnecessary since quality alternatives are available.

URGE WOOLRICH TO GO FUR FREE

While the Italian brand offers a wide range of clothing, their parkas are the only items with fur. They use fur from raccoon dogs, coyotes and foxes as trim for the hoods of their parkas – even for children’s jackets. Woolrich purchases most fur from Finnish auction house Saga Furs, which prides itself with only selling fur coming from certified farms. But the voluntary certification scheme of the European fur industry (WelFur) is designed around the cruel cage system that we all know. Animals on Saga certified fur farms endure a short life in tiny wire mesh cages without opportunities to fulfil their basic needs. Only to be inhumanely killed after a few months and end up as trim on a Woolrich parka.  

And it’s not just farms. In North America, wild animals like coyotes are caught in brutal traps that rarely cause immediate death and result in immense pain and stress before the animals are killed by either drowning, suffocation or bludgeoning.  

The cruel devices do not discriminate. Pets, deer and countless other animals are often maimed or killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and many suffer for days without food or water before dying.

The truth is simple: every fur product is rooted in animal suffering.  

While Woolrich emphasises its sustainability efforts, they fail to address the environmental impact of using animal fur for fashion. While the fur industry try to position fur as a sustainable product, in truth the practice has a severe impact on our environment, especially on ecosystems close to fur farms. Keeping thousands of animals on fur farms requires many resources: water, feed, and energy. The accumulating animal waste often drains into local soil and waterways, polluting both. 

But there’s also good news – fashion is evolving. More and more iconic brands and retailers are embracing cruelty-free style by going fur-free. You don’t need fur to make a statement – your values are your boldest accessory.