This Major City Just Did The Best Thing To Help Animals

The city of Los Angeles just made a giant step toward helping animals: banning the sale of fur.

The news was announced on Tuesday after the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted for the ban, and directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance to prohibit the sale and manufacture of any new fur products. Before the ban takes effect, the city attorney will need to present the ordinance to the council for final approval, but animal welfare advocates are already celebrating.

“Los Angeles’ historic move to ban fur sales today is likely to herald the end of the barbaric fur industry for good,” Marilyn Kroplick, president of In Defense of Animals, said in a statement. “This major city sets global fashion and culture trends, and has sent a message to the world that animals should not ... be abused for clothing. We are delighted by this significant victory for animals, the public, and activists and organizations around the world who have exposed the cruel fur industry.”

A few years ago, fur experienced a resurgence in the fashion world, but the material has been falling out of favor as more and more people become aware of where fur comes from. At most fur farms, animals like domestic rabbits, Arctic foxes, minks and raccoon dogs are kept in unsanitary conditions in tiny wire cages until they’re old enough to be killed and skinned. When it comes time for the animals to be slaughtered, farmers often insert electric prods into their mouths and backsides and electrocute them to death, which causes a tremendous amount of pain and suffering.

At fur farms in Finland, Arctic foxes are even deliberately bred to have extra rolls of fur so farmers can get more money at a huge cost to the animals’ health. A Swedish journalist dubbed these foxes “monsterrävar,” which translates to “monster foxes.”

It’s estimated that more than 110 million animals are killed on fur farms each year, with an additional 16 million or more trapped in the wild for their fur, according to Animal Defenders International (ADI).

Los Angeles isn’t the first major U.S. city to make a move toward banning fur — in March, San Francisco implemented a similar ban. Berkeley also banned fur last year, and West Hollywood did the same in 2013. Several major fashion brands, including Burberry, Armani, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, DKNY, Donna Karan and Jimmy Choo, have also stopped using fur in their clothing.

“Today is a great day for fur-bearing animals. Los Angeles’ decision to ban fur sales … should make it clear that the future of fashion is fur-free,” PJ Smith, senior manager of fashion policy at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), said in a statement. “Not only is LA now the largest city in America to go fur-free, but with this fur ban, it has become a leader in innovation and compassion.”