PETA Supporters on Top of the World!

Animal lover and PETA Australia supporter Tracy Samassa took the anti-fur message to new heights when she climbed to the base camp of Mount Everest recently and secured a PETA “No Fur” flag on the path for other climbers to see.

Never one to miss a chance to speak up for animals, Tracy asked PETA Australia what she could do to draw attention to animal issues while making the once-in-a-lifetime climb. Without delay, PETA printed off some “No Fur” flags and sent them to Tracy to take along on her journey. Many hikers leave “prayer flags” tied along the route, but until now, no one has ever left a message on behalf of the millions of animals who are abused and killed for their skins.

Tracy’s flag reminds everyone who sees it that every fur coat, trinket and bit of trim caused an animal tremendous suffering – and took away a life.

Animals on fur farms spend their lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages before being suffocated, electrocuted, gassed or poisoned to death.

Much of the world’s fur comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death and even skinned alive for their fur. Chinese fur is often deliberately mislabelled, so if you wear any fur, there’s no way of knowing for sure whose skin you’re in.

As if the animal suffering weren’t bad enough, furs are also loaded with chemicals to keep them from decomposing, and fur production pollutes the environment and gobbles up precious resources. Producing a fur coat from ranch-raised animals takes more than 15 times as much energy as it takes to produce a luxurious faux-fur coat.

Fortunately, even on the chilly heights of Mount Everest, there is no need to be cruel to stay warm and look cool. High-tech materials insulate better than fur does, and faux furs are available in stores everywhere. Take a stand against cruelty to animals by signing the fur-free pledge today! And follow Tracy’s lead by always speaking up for animals wherever you go.

Posted by Claire Fryer