DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE FUR TRIM ON YOUR JACKET COMES FROM?
Unbeknownst to most, the majority of fur-trimmed clothing and accessories (even trinkets and pet toys) labeled as “faux fur” or “synthetic” is likely real fur, mostly from cats and dogs. It is estimated that over 2 million domestic cats and dogs (the majority stolen pets and homeless strays) are killed in China every year for their fur (not including other parts of Asia), where they are rounded up and transported in sacks and crates. Some are held in dingy, dark unheated buildings during the bitter winter of northern China, often without food or water.
There are no governing laws to protect animals, resulting in horrific torment and death for these companion animals, who are loaded by the hundreds onto trucks in cages stacked on top of each other. When they reach their fatal destination, their cages are tossed from the tops of the trucks onto the ground 10 feet below, shattering their legs. Many of the animals have collars on, a sign that they were once beloved pets, stolen to be bludgeoned, drowned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and even skinned alive, so that their fur can be turned into fur trim, coats, hats, gloves and other accessories; their skins are even used in the production of drums and other musical instruments. The fur is exported under false labeling to North America and Europe to unsuspecting consumers.
This largely unknown animal protection issue is exposed in the Documentary Film CRY OF THE INNOCENT: The Voices That Can’t Speak, bringing the trade into the international spotlight. Through the Director’s strategic partnership with ACTAsia, the film has made great strides throughout Asia with groundbreaking media coverage in China, the world’s largest exporter of animal skins and the mecca of the cat and dog fur trade, breaking through the ‘iron curtain’ of media control in China. The film was translated in Chinese language and screened in Shenzhen, China at a press conference attended by the national media, making a significant impact on its viewers. The film received precedent-setting TV news coverage in China exposing the trade at its epicenter, where it broadcasted footage from the film.
The Film Series is a call to action for the billions of nonhuman animals around the world who suffer and die tragically in silence, their cries for mercy unheard, hoping in their hearts that we will hear their pleas for life and set them free.
CRY OF THE INNOCENT: The Voices That Can’t Speak is a precedent-setting Documentary Film Series which elicits a spiritual perspective to this dark subject, so that an awakening can occur from a deeper level of the psyche. We cannot cure the disease unless we heal the source. Any lesser remedy is akin to applying a bandage to a severed limb.
We cannot make a difference through apathy. Closing our eyes will only serve to empower this horrific industry. As conscious consumers, our purchasing power is our strength in shutting this barbaric industry down.
Feature Article ©Kathleen Lowson, Director, CRY OF THE INNOCENT: The Voices That Can’t Speak.
We rely on donations to do this important work on behalf of nonhuman animals around the globe, who are counting on us to be their voice and set them free. If it is not possible to make a financial contribution but want to support our work, please SHARE this post widely and help make it viral!
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