There seems to be an epidemic of Canada Goose parkas on Vanderbilt’s campus. The coats are a winter luxury trend across the United States, with a price tag ranging from $900 to $1,700. Much of this price comes from the materials that are used in these coats—one of those being the fur of murdered coyotes.
Canada Goose is unrepentant in its disgusting practice of trapping and executing innocent animals for use in their coats’ unnecessary decorative trim. These coyotes are sometimes left to struggle in steel traps for days until someone comes and shoots them or bludgeons them to death. The variety of traps include those such as steel leg clamps, head-crushing traps, body gripping traps, and neck snares—often resulting in the animal attempting to gnaw its own leg/foot off. The abuse inflicted on animals doesn’t stop at coyotes, it also extends to geese whose feathers are used in some of Canada Goose’s products as down. These geese are rounded up into cramped wire cages in order to make it easier to transport them to be slaughtered—geese at the bottom of the cages are crushed and are sometimes left in this condition for up to twenty-four hours without food or water.
Canada Goose has a laughable commitment to “ethically-sourced fur,” and their website states that, “We believe all animals are entitled to human treatment in life and death, and are deeply committed to the responsible use and ethical sourcing of all animal materials in our products. We do not condone any willful mistreatment and neglect of animals or acts that maliciously cause undue pain, injury, or suffering.” The phrase “ethical sourcing”is an oxymoron because fur requires the death of an innocent, sentient being in order to produce the unnecessary addition to an article of clothing that is mass-marketed to people who don’t even live in conditions that would even remotely justify the utilization of fur clothing.
With as many alternatives as there are to fur, why would someone willfully contribute to the suffering and of death of thousands of innocent animals just to follow a fashion trend? Cognitive dissonance must play a role because I assume many of the people that own a Canada Goose parka would proclaim themselves to be supporters of liberal values and of human and animal rights, but their actions in purchasing and possessing an article of clothing produced through death and blood says otherwise. The fur trade is a disgusting and archaic industry that should be banned. The use of fur in clothing is no longer needed in today’s world like it was hundreds of years ago when fur was necessary in order to live in or explore colder climates. Anyone that truly cares for animals should boycott Canada Goose and never purchase or support any of their products.
Photo source: PETA
