Reader comments
Fur protesters target Park City crowd

Hatuletoh | 10:32 a.m. Jan. 19, 2009

Aww, animal rights protesters are always so delightfully earnest, if sometimes a bit confusing. I'm glad those kids are keeping busy.

Fur is Good for the Environment | 10:53 a.m. Jan. 19, 2009

Synthetic vs. real

Real fur can be grown on a farm or in the wild without creating roads in wilderness areas or drilling miles below the surface for the oil needed to produce the synthetic materials - scaring the land and leaving drilling tailings exposed to the environment. Fur is 100% natural and will not harm landfills. It's durable and will last for many years if properly taken care of.

Besides, most wild animals don't die of heart disease or in pure bliss. If they get old they become susceptible to disease and suffer until they die or are eaten by some predator - not an enjoyable way to die.

By the way, those raccoons could be carrying rabies and when their populations get out of hand they become a real public health concern - meaning their numbers will be reduced by trapping, shooting, poisoning, or some other means. The poor creature will have to suffer.

Lets have balance... | 11:35 a.m. Jan. 19, 2009

Fur is great for keeping cold people warm. Animals were created for mans humane use. Fur and hides are a byproduct of our food supply. What business is it of the "far left animal rights folks" what others choose to wear. They had better stay out of my way because many of them are worse than those wearing fur. Not in my face...I will be in yours for sure. And if it is from Sugar House (like the gays in San Francisco)...well, that is where they have migrated to..poor Sugar House.

Comments continue below

wallofvoodoo | 12:39 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

I'm not one of the fur is murder crowd. But fur is ugly & smelly. Why would you want to wear it? No accounting for taste.

Not ALL fur is bad | 1:01 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

I don't agree that ALL fur and leather products are bad.

I don't agree with raising animals just for their fur. But SOME leather and fur are a natural byproduct of animals that are used for food and part of the circle of life.

I inherrited an elk skin coat from my father (the-most-comfortable-coat-I've-ever-worn). The elk was harvested, processed and eaten by the family of a friend. The hide would have gone to waste if it was not used. They decided to make it into a buckskin coat (fur on the inside leather, fringe and all, on the outside). Whether the elk died of old age, starved, was killed by a wolf or a hunter, they all eventualy die. Would you rather all the food and other products that came from this animal be wasted and left to rot instead of being preserved and used?

I think it's part of the natural circle of life for every part of this animal to be used to it's greatest extent and none to be wasted just to please protesters who have become fixated on the fur industry.

PS. I don't-dear wear this coat anywhere because it is very valuable (both-sentimental-and-$$$)-and-I'm-afraid-some-fur-nut-will-decide-to-destroy-it-as-part-of-his-right-to-destroy-people's-property-as-part-of-his-protest.

thinking for myself | 1:17 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

Not sure who I'm for here, the anti-fur idiots or the Hollywood fur wearing idiots.....

The Truth | 4:15 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

The fur industry is anything but humane. Today, about 85% of animals used for fur garments are raised on fur farms throughout the world. Modern fur farming practices tend to be excessively cruel, as fur farmers are focused on maximizing profits rather than the physical and psychological welfare of the animals involved. Most fur bearing animals are subject to a life of extreme boredom and confinement. Mink, foxes, chinchillas and other small animals often spend their entire lives in warehouses, confined to tiny wire mesh cages in what are often less than sanitary conditions.

Mkj | 4:33 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

Fur may be nice on, but looking at what these animals have to go through and what they feel in there eyes. There is nothing humane about it. Its crulty. And people need to find another trend. Im pretty sure im happy with my trend the all cotton jacket it keeps me warm. Hollywood people are messed up.

AR | 4:39 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

All fur farming should be abolished, end of story.
It is already illegal to operate fur farms in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Croatia and in most of Austria (three of the nine federal states have banned it, the remaining three have very strict welfare regulations). The United States needs to get with the program.

BEENTHERE | 6:10 p.m. Jan. 19, 2009

WELL, FYI - MONIQUE, LINDA HOGAN AND PARIS HILTON ARE THERE RIGHT NOW - AND IN FUR!!!! I'M SHOCKED AND APPALED! GO GET THEM!! DO IT FUR THE MINKS!

Doug | 1:55 a.m. Jan. 20, 2009

Wallofvoodoo either you've just been unlucky or you have bad judgement on the furs you choose.

Fur farmers are in business for profit , of course!, but also they want to stay in business. Flaunting animal welfare issues is not good business. Most fur in the world is produced on farms with better animal welfare than Livestock farms. The anti fur crowd concentrate on the minority of bad practice farms, and blow them out of all proportion to satisfy their own misguded agendas

@MKJ | 4:56 a.m. Jan. 20, 2009

Do you have any idea how many organizms died during the production of the cotton for you coat?
Spend a day at a farm during the harvest. You can't even count the critters that get killed by combines.
How many bugs die when you mow your lawn?
What about the plants' don't they have feelings too?

@@MKJ | 10:21 a.m. Jan. 20, 2009

Unlike organisms that may or may not be accidentally killed during a cotton harvest, the suffering that is inherently inflicted in order to produce fur garments is unnecessary and completely AVOIDABLE. Avoiding products that we know are directly cruel is major principle of the animal welfare movement . It is not possible to worry about all the "maybes" and "ifs" of plant production. Animal agriculture (including fur farming) is cruel and we can all avoid buying products that come from inhumane sources. There are always viable alternatives to traditional animal based products that we all can choose instead of contributing to needless suffering.

Parker | 11:38 a.m. Jan. 20, 2009

Fur is dead.
So is Mozart.
Both left behind great beauty.

Anonymous | 10:39 a.m. Jan. 21, 2009

Being a Utah native whose sick of the asparagus field I encounter reentering Utah were all have their hands out for my money, I've stopped returning. "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may be in Utah!"

I'm thankful there are people who choice the right.

Big Red | 11:28 a.m. Jan. 21, 2009

Fur-give me for I have skinned.

Michelle | 3:43 p.m. Jan. 21, 2009

I don't necessarily like fur but it is all part of the circle of life. I don't want to be over run by furry critters. Do you? But I certainly wouldn't wear one either.

ignorant | 5:40 p.m. Jan. 21, 2009

"Besides, most wild animals don't die of heart disease or in pure bliss. If they get old they become susceptible to disease and suffer until they die or are eaten by some predator - not an enjoyable way to die"

its the natural way

Skinned alive | 12:24 p.m. Jan. 22, 2009

The majority of the fur we have comes from china, where animal welfare laws are a joke. These animals are skinned alive, if you don't believe me just YouTube it. I think the adlslc which is talked about on this article has a video on their website too.

me | 1:36 p.m. Jan. 22, 2009

The circle of life? that is a joke, it's not part of a plan to skin 40 animals so someone with too much money can call it fashion, especially now a days, we have heaters, we have the capability to keep ourselves warm. People say we are genetically inclined to do such cruel acts, however a high percantage of humans are fighting to stop cruel acts, to any species, animals, non humyn primates, etc. So it is not genetic, it is however a choice to be cruel. It is not in my instincts to kill period.

you | 2:00 p.m. Jan. 22, 2009

IT IS JUST ANOTHER EXCUSE, open your eyes and look and see what is being done, youtalk about poplulation problems, but what you are not getting is that these animals are being produced for fur, human beings are breeding animals to make more animals to skin these animals. we are the cause of over population, if it weren't for us the world wouldn't have this issue. human beings are the cause of all that is wrong. if you would actually realize this, then you would realize we are not infact the better species, but the worst. so go ahead and buy your suede boots and eat your mcdonalds, but don't open your mouth and say that we are making things better. don't listen to what others tell you, you should rely on facts, not myths, or theories, go to a slaughter house, go to a fur farm. go to 3rd world countries where animals roam free and see for yourself the big difference we have made.

Emily | 8:38 p.m. Jan. 28, 2009

I was there, and it was really funny because one of the store owners stood in the middle of the protesters and held up a sign that said "free hamburgers" and gave out free hamburgers.
I love counter protests.

A question | 10:20 p.m. July 2, 2009

Jordan Halliday explained. "We understand that some fur wearers don't realize the destruction their garment may have caused."

IS THAT THE SAME JORDAN HALLIDAY THAT GOT ARRESTED FOR THAT GRAND JURY THING EARLIER THIS YEAR?

Reply to a question | 12:54 a.m. Sept. 30, 2009

Yes, Its the same lawful protester jordan Halliday who got arrested earlier this year and is still facing political pressure from the government.

warm, fuzzy | 1:36 p.m. Dec. 7, 2009

I love wearing fur, whether real or faux. It's WARM! If I could afford to, I would be very choosy where I bought my fur. I prefer to shop vintage (after all, those animals DIED for beauty -- don't let them have died in vain), but I do know about some indigenous farmers (Guatemala) who raise rabbits for food and sell fur garments to tourists. Those people are just trying to live. There's a difference between that kind of fur and the kind you see in fashion magazines and in ski-resort stores. I would like to see a high-profile furrier take the lead in creating cruelty-free products that help people who need it.

Anonymous | 1:56 p.m. Dec. 7, 2009

What lead to the extinction of many amazing tropical birds. It was feminine vanity and woman's fashions. It's a gender thing. A woman will snatch a diamond and she will never care about the misery behind it. So what if the money is supporting murderous dictators? Diamonds are a girl's best friend. As long as their are women and fashion, the murder of animals to satisfy vanity will go on.

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