Actress Sun Li and Mimi the rabbit encourage consumers to be angels. Photo: Wang Zi

By Andrew Tait

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched their new ad campaign Wednesday, aimed at raising awareness of what they describe as the inhuman treatment and slaughter of animals for their fur.

Leading the campaign was Chinese actress and singer, Sun Li. "Animals in the fur trade are killed in extremely cruel ways, just because the farmers don't want to damage the fur they are going to sell," Sun told reporters.

"I used to wear fur. But after watching videos showing how the animals were treated and killed, I knew I just couldn't wear it anymore, and decided I wanted other people to know about these bad practices."

The ads, which are set to start running in March, feature Sun sporting white wings, asking the public to become angels by abandoning fur purchases.

PETA Asia-Pacific Director, Jason Baker, told the Global Times that PETA was about education and organizing promotions that were fun and interesting, but which still get people talking about the subject matter.

Investigations by the American Humane Society reveal that fur farmers often keep the animals outdoors in tightly packed cages. Many of the animals are still alive when skinned, with farm workers using brutal methods, such as beatings with metal rods, to control the animals prior to killing them.

But Yang Hanxue, Director of the Fur Commission for the China Leather Association (CLA), refutes the claims of PETA and other animal rights organizations.

Talking to the Global Times, Yang expressed the CLA's strong support for animal protection, explaining their belief that the ethical treatment of animals was the foundation of fur farming.

"While ignoring Chinese fur farms which have favorable environments and facilities, some organizations and media outlets painstakingly focus on the seamy side and make an unjustified generalization, which has damaged the reputation of the Chinese fur farming industry," said Yang.

"We believe that the protection of animals is our responsibility and consumers can buy fur products with no worries about the welfare of the animals."

Yang went on to outline the rules and regulations that protect animals involved in China's fur farming industry, including the "Provisional Regulations on Technical Management of Breeding and Utilization of Fur Wild Animals (Beasts)," which is meant to ensure animal rights regarding breeding conditions, cage dimensions and feeding standards.

"In all our years of investigation and documenting, we have never found one fur farm in China that has any sort of ethical standards," said Baker, in response to the CLA's comments. He added that while regulations may exist in China, they were either ignored or not enforced.

"You simply can't say you are in support of animal rights, and still work in the fur industry. And with all the alternatives available in China now, there's really no reason to wear fur either."