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Fur
In this Central European country where snow and ice lies on the ground
for much of the winter the wearing of fur is a long-held custom. Despite
this, a series of public meeting and press conferences led to a flourish
of publicity in newspapers and on radio and television, highlighting the
cruelty of the fur trade. "It will take years before this tradition is
overcome but the public response to this campaign shows that attitudes
are changing fast." commented Jonathan Pearce, WSPA Campaigns Director.
As well as being an important market for fur coats, Croatia also boasts the world's largest chinchilla farming industry. Around a quarter of a million of these South American rodents, which are similar in size to a small rabbit, are raised and killed each year in 2000 small farms. Nearly all the skins are exported.
Representatives of WSPA and the SBAPS visited several of the farms, which typically hold around 200 animals, stacked five high in small cages.
Because chinchillas are very tame animals, the farms do not show the more obvious signs stress, fear and aggression found on mink and fox farms where the animals are far more territorial However the inspection revealed that breeders where having major problems with the level of mortality of new born animals and that all chinchillas in Croatia are killed by having their necks broken by hand. "This barbaric treatment is against recommendation of the council of Europe to which Croatia is signed up and we are now pressuring the government to ensure it is outlawed." commented Davorko Feil, President of SBAPS.
