[For immediate release]
Friday, January 24, 2009
Fur is Dead
Don't Kill Them With Your Shopping Vouchers
Editor: Ai Huang; Michael Starkey
With the Year of the Ox only a week or so away, and the government handing out shopping vouchers to the island's 23 million citizens, the first ever animal rights group in Taiwan held its first public event in Taipei on Friday urging people not to use their vouchers to purchase any fur products this Chinese New Year.
January 23, 2009 - A group of Animal Rights activists showed up in the drizzling rain at the east district of Taipei. Two young girls dressed as bloody, abused animals in a life-sized cage, protested the crowded conditions that animals farmed for fur are forced to endure everyday while others activists held placards and distributed leaflets to those passing by.
After seeing the disturbing slaughterhouse photos, a person passing by said that they will never again buy any fur products while most said that they could afford the expensive fur products anyway. Animosa spokeswoman Jessi Chang (張家珮) pointed out "Most people think that only expensive fur products are made with real animal fur. Actually, prices start from 15 NTD for a fur hair pin, 100 NTD for a fur pin brooch, to 2000 NTD for a fur purse or a fur trim hoody. People have no concept of the amount of cruelty that goes into the production of animal fur products."
Over 80% of fur products sold in Taiwan are from China, a country where there are currently no enforced animal welfare laws. The animals live their entire lives in tiny, cramped cages, and are often skinned alive. All of this in the name of "fashion." Taiwanese Actress Annie Inou, who used to be a huge collector of fur coats, has decided to not to buy any fur products after learning about the cruelty behind fur clothing. Jessi Chang (張家珮) stated "We are asking you to not use your shopping vouchers to support the bloody fashion industry." (To find out more, please visit:
http://www.furisdead.com/.)
Animosa – from the words 'Animals' and 'Formosa' – is an animal rights group whose aim is to protest animals and raise awareness of cruelty to animals, particularly those factory farmed for their meat and fur, and also used for experimentation. The independent group was formed in November 2008 and has more than 20 young, compassionate members. It has been working very closely with PETA Asia-Pacific staff (based in Hong Kong) on animal rights issues in Taiwan. For more information, or If you are interested in joining this group, please contact Jessi Chang at 0921741417(mobile) or
AnimosaTW@gmail.com(E-mail).
