07/08/15 For Croatia Without Skinned Chinchillas!
Animal Friends Croatia are protesting in front of the Ministry of Agriculture in the name of the majority of Croatian citizens
- Thursday, July 9 at 11 AM: a message of compassion for Minister Jakovina not to hamper the Animal Protection Act
After the proposal to legalize bow and arrow hunting, the Ministry of Agriculture led by Minister Jakovina proposed another bill which shouldn't be a part of the developed world. Although the European Union encourages its member countries to apply stricter animal protection and welfare regulations and completely ban the cultivation of animals for fur, the Ministry of Agriculture has proposed to thwart the Animal Protection Act and allow the cultivation of chinchillas for fur. Fur farming has been banned in Croatia since 2007, with a 10 year phase-out period.
On Thursday, July 9, 2015 at 11 AM, the non-profit organization Animal Friends Croatia will spread a 10-meter banner with a message of compassion supported by the majority of citizens addressed to Minister Jakovina in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, at 78 Vukovar Street, Zagreb. The messages on signs will decry the thwarting of the Animal Protection Act and passing of a bill which would legalize the practice of torture and killing of animals for fur.
At present, there are five times fewer chinchilla farms than before the 2007 ban on fur farming. In 2006, the ban was supported by the Croatian Government, all leading parties, and the MPs, and a public opinion poll suggested that over 70% of Croatian citizens were in favor of the ban. Citizens do not want chinchillas to be tortured in cages, have their necks broken, be suffocated by gas, or killed by electric shocks. The current ruling political party still displays the clear support for the ban on fur farming on its web pages.
When Croatia banned the cultivation of animals for fur in 2007, a ban was already in place in the United Kingdom and Austria. Since then, Slovenia, the Republic of Macedonia, Switzerland, the Belgian region of Wallonia, the Brazilian state of São Paulo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina completely banned the cultivation of animals for fur, while partial bans exist in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and New Zealand. The Ministry of Agriculture should be proud of the ban and follow the growing trend of countries which banned fur farming, and not cater to a handful of breeders who have been ignoring the exceptionally lengthy phase-out period.
The leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture seems to openly mock the public with its proposal to exclude chinchillas from the fur farming ban, because it shows a complete disregard for the intelligence of its citizens and politicians who know that chinchillas feel pain and suffer the same as mink, foxes, dogs, or any other animals skinned for their fur, and because of the fact that only chinchillas are cultivated for fur in Croatia.
We need to save the habitats of chinchillas, where they are facing extinction precisely because of the greed of individuals for fur profits, and not torture them in the cages of the breeders. A lot of the breeders did respect the ban and stopped with the cultivation of chinchillas, and the phase-out period enables the remaining ones to do the same.
Wearing fur is an unnecessary and wanton act. More than 200 animals have to be killed for only one chinchilla fur coat. The World Bank considers fur processing one of the five worst industries in the world because of the toxic metal pollution. What politician wants to have the blood of the thousands of chinchillas on their hands and show the lack of ethical and ecological awareness? Animal Friends Croatia appeals to the Ministry of Agriculture not to change the Animal Protection Act, but instead to work on developing the legal regulations which were due by 2009.
For more information on how to help chinchillas and get involved in the campaign "For Croatia without Fur," please visit www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr.
Photo copyright: One Voice (free use only for the purpose of this campaign but must be credited as authors)
Photo copyright: Anima (free use only for the purpose of this campaign but must be credited as authors)