Minks in Sweden
A Shocking Look Inside Swedish Fur Farm
(Extracted from, PETA: http://www.peta.org/features/a-shocking-look-inside-swedish-fur-farms.aspx?c=pfs)
In a year and a half, investigators from the Animal Rights Alliance toured 20 percent of fur farms in Sweden. Shocking photos and video footage taken during the investigations document the routine cruelty suffered by minks on Swedish fur farms.
Minks are semi-aquatic, solitary animals who may occupy up to 2,500 acres of wetland habitat in the wild. On fur farms, minks are crammed into filthy wire cages and are never allowed to feel the earth beneath their feet or dive into a cool stream. They often suffer from open wounds and infections, receiving no veterinary care. Crowding and confinement on fur farms also causes minks severe psychological distress, and they often can be seen bobbing their heads and pacing. Investigation photos reveal that many minks even resort to self-mutilation and cannibalism.
Every year, the fur industry heartlessly kills approximately 50 million animals, many of whom are skinned alive.
One of my students, Jamie Khoo (liaison and senior editor in KMP), sent this to me over Facebook. It shows us how even people from a civilized and developed country can participate in such cruel and inhumane acts towards animals.
A lot of people think that these type of treatment towards animals only happens in less developed nations. They blame it on limited education, harsh living conditions….with a lucrative market to drive them to such terrible things.
This is clearly untrue. As long as there is a demand and a market for ANIMAL FUR, people (regardless of race etc) will supply…animals will be killed..animals will suffer.
Tsem Rinpoche
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Shocking photos and video footage taken by Animal Rights Alliance, which I could not believed what I saw. Sadly those poor animals suffered in silent by minks on Swedish fur farms. They too have feelings as we humans. I can imagine of the opened wound they had. Its such a cruel act and unethical ……those innocent animals are been treated in such a way, going through so much suffering and pain and skinned for their fur .
Do hope Animal Rights Alliance or any other organization can do more to help the Minks in Swedish farm. We can avoid having fur as fashion in way ,when the demand is less, less killing then.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
It is just so cruel that people do things like that to harm other living beings. And it is just all so cruel to have them in living conditions like that, then just kill them for their fur for the sake of fashion.
What is fashion? Is fashion really worth it for the life of others so that we will look “good”?
There is no meaning to put sufferings onto others for the sake of just being able to. There is no reason to be taking the skin of an animal to put on ourselves so that we will be fashionable. To me, to kill is not fashion.
What can I do to help. I had no ideal,t h is was,happening.
How can they do these to the poor minks? They are forced to fight against each other into other to not starve to death. Some pictures of minks in the slaughterhouses as shown on the above, their skull have been injured very badly and some you can see the skull. If I can choose which way I want to die, I will definitely choose old age. Who wants to die in a torturing way? Please think for the animal.
I think that the way that these innocent creatures are being treated here are really unethical. I think humans should imagine if they were being skinned and sold out to others. Maybe it would be necessary for one to feel the pain before they stop giving the pain.
I have seen other videos on the abuse that animals are getting from fur farms. I think that fur should not be on the market at all. Why wear the skin of others? We should buy artificial fur if you are so attached.
If we stop wearing fur, we would be preventing the pain that the fur market does to the animals. They truly do not deserve such pain. I think that if we change to artificial fur, we would in a way feel better about ourselves as we are not wearing the corpse of an abused animal.
Dear Rinpoche,
OMB! How could such a thing happen???
All this while I never expected such a thing to happen!
I just can’t believe that the Minks in Sweden have to go through so much suffering and pain even before they are even skinned for their fur.
It is just so sad that even cute, small and fluffy animals like the Minks also has to be killed and skinned for it’s fur….
Just looking at the pictures on this blog post really breaks my heart because even before death they are stuffed in small yet crowded cages, they all have at some part of their bodies that are infected and bleeding as well as you look at their innocent and sad faces looking as if they don’t know what to expect next.
Part of me really just wants to gather a group of people who would support my cause and fly to Sweden to hold peaceful protests in front of fur farms and try to put a stop in to such a cruel and stupid act and job.
I agree with Rinpoche’s saying that ‘As long as there is a demand and a market for ANIMAL FUR, people (regardless of race etc) will supply…animals will be killed..animals will suffer.’
There is totally no other easier way to explain why all this is happening and how it is possible to stop it.
Thank you Rinpoche for spreading the news.
Love
Jutika
OMB! Poor little minks, I do not understand why would people kill small creatures like them. Can you imagine how many of them need to be killed to make a fur coat? We absolutely do not need animal fur to keep us warm, there are other ways. We can’t put their lives to an end just because we need to keep ourselves ‘warm’, it’s very selfish. The pictures make me feel sick, I really cannot imagine the life they are living, with their flesh exposed.. people should really stop killing them.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Love, beatrix.
Oh my Goodness, it so terrible what people do to these poor animals. People can actually torture and treat them so badly until they have no choice but to eat each other. And that is just sick to make these animals to do.
I don’t think any person would like it if they trapped you in a cage and left you there to be killed. And then you have no choice but to eat your own kind, so bad. And as another bad thing that could happen is that they could catch sickness and die slowly. All this has to stop soon.
It is so painful to see the different degree of sufferings that these minks need to go through when they are alive, before they are skinned alive to satisfy the needs of humans.
Rinpoche has put it well, it does not matter which country is it, animal cruelty happens in both developed and developing countries. Education does help, I believe, just that people choose to ignore.
Fur industry is a lucrative business. Money can really turn people blind.
who was incharge of this tourcher? how bout i cut your ear off and leave u dead in a cage? u wouldnt like it niether do these minks. whoever was in charge for this, there is a special place in hell 4 u
Have you seen chicken factory farms?? Pig factory farms?? Now they are disgusting. We are going to try and setup a humane mink farm. Despite the extra costs, animal welfare has always been our main concern, which is why we currently farm our animals ‘free range’. We intend to give our mink more space and a small pool to swim in.
You cant skin an animal alive, unless your the best skinner ever. Its just way much more work.
I understand mink coats are the most expensive among all fur coats that is sold. I guess people in the Winter countries will commit more severe karma than those people who stay in Tropical countries. As these countries don’t need fur to keep them warm in the cold Winter. Can you imagine the animal is such a small creature that to make a mink coat will take so many minks to be killed. The people who wear these mink coats would have indirectly killed so many animals. And they have to pay so much to collect so much bad karma because of ego, vanity and porestige.
“Every year the fur industry heartlessly killed approximately 50 million animals” – MANY OF WHOM WERE SKINNED ALIVE”. Investigations by Animal Rights Alliance had toured 20% of the fur farms for one and a half years, collecting and filming video footages of all these tortures, cannibalisms and raw flesh multilations in a civilised and developed country, but yet till now no known remedy or effective actions can be taken to stop all these inhumane acts towards the suffering animals. Looks like we are living in a “mad mad world of uncivilisation”. As the saying goes, “actions should not be said to be done, but it must be shown to have been done” particularly, in such acts of uncivilised inhuman cruelty! I stongly believe there are people in that part of the World, or any anywhere for that matter, are strong, brave, human and compassionate enough to be able to do something sincerely to immediately put a stop to such atrocities and cannibalisms on living beings(though animals) for their fur for monetary benefit and to please our crazy trendy fashion world without feelings!
Here in the UK we can sometimes still find puppy farms. It is very sad to see the animals condition. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Puppy-Breeding-Farm-Conditions-Revealed-Undercover-Filming-Shows-Dogs-In-Tiny-Pens/Article/200908115353929
I believe that greed and ignorance drive people to be cruel.
Oh, i feel like fainting from the painful sight of those poor, suffering animals – how wicked to (especially knowingly) use their fur! If there were such things as human-skin bags, belts or jackets, wouldn’t we scream, “Murderers” at the manufacturers? i hope people would just EMPATHIZE, for a start.
Thank you Rinpoche for this post. It is so horrific. Humans are so inhuman. We say we are pet lovers and we have pets in our home. Yet we are eating them to satisfy our taste buds, abusing and killing them to keep us warm and show off our highly prized mink coat. How contradictory! Stop animal abuse!
I think that the way that the animals are being treated here are really unfair. I think humans should imagine if they were being skinned and sold out to others. I have seen other videos on the abuse that animals are getting from fur farms. I think that fur should not be on the market at all. Artificial fur would be a 100 times better. If we stop wearing fur, we would be preventing the pain that the fur market does to the animals. They truly do not deserve such pain. I think that if we change to artificial fur, we would in a way feel better about ourselves as we are not wearing the corpse of an abused animal.
Poor things, all for fashion….
Its bad enough that they are killed to make clothes but as these pictures show, they don’t even have a life before either.
It saddens me how soaked in missery many beings lives are, we should do our best to lessen that suffering every chance we get.
Jon :-/
Oh My God, poor little Minks….. I felt lyk crying after seeing this. People should not kill them just their own comfort. They should be showered with love and care. Oh how i wish we could keep them in KAS, when its done.
This is an article I found on a report done based on research into various farms in Sweden. Shocking!
REPORT:
For the past year-and-a-half, the Animal Rights Alliance investigation unit has been mapping out the Swedish fur industry. We have combed through environmental inspection protocols, court documents and research reports and what’s more – we have visited one-fifth of the 75 mink farms in Sweden to see them for ourselves. We have discovered major environmental violations by an industry that is already highly-criticized. Above all we have discovered the mink. Clever, beautiful wild mink imprisoned in shed after shed, housing row after row of small dirty cages. Mink that will never see any water beyond what comes out of a water nipple, even though they are hunters that naturally spend half of their life in water. Mink that express so-called stereotypical behavior, endless repetitive motion without purpose, a feeble attempt at dealing with stress and frustration.
We already knew that this would be the case. We were prepared for meeting curious eyes behind bars from animals that are so psychologically-broken that they incessantly circle their cages. We knew that it would be bad, but reality on the farms was worse than we could have ever imagined.
We understood that the mortality rate would be high. Several reports show that one out of every four or five animals die before they reach 6 months of age. But we didn’t know how they die – and how they suffer. Now we know. We have seen pups chewing on their dead littermates, entire litters where every animals has had its ear bitten off; young animals with gaping wounds on their heads; and fully-grown mink that twist and turn in agony, screaming in panic from pain and illness that minutes later ceases but only with their death.
It has been terrible to see all of this without being able to do anything about it. On our worst days, we felt completely powerless. But we’ve been driven to continue toward our goal – to make public the horrific animal cruelty that occurs on the farms. This animal cruelty cannot continue in silence.
The fourth paragraph of the Animal Welfare Act clearly states that all animals must be allowed to express their natural behaviours and that they must be protected from unnecessary suffering. But Sweden continues to allow mink to be bred and kept in mesh cages that are no bigger than 30 x 90 centimeters before being killed to produce an unnecessary luxury product that nobody needs. In 2003, the Swedish Commission of Inquiry into the Fur Industry gave Swedish fur farms until 2010 to comply with the Animal Welfare Act. Seven years later we can conclude that the Swedish fur industry has done nothing to improve conditions for mink on fur farms. It is high-time that the fur industry is made history.
The Animal Rights Alliance
The Animal Rights Alliance is a not-for-profit campaigning group that speaks for the animals. Founded in 2005, we have since then brought about the criminalization of bestiality, organized five veggie food conventions and exposed the Swedish pork industry through undercover investigation. Our work for the animals is completely dependent on donations, supporting members and active volunteers.
STEREOTYPICAL BEHAVIOR
“Animals shall be kept and maintained in an environment that furthers their good health and allows them to behave naturally”. – Animal Welfare Act (1988:534), 4 §
We have filmed evidence of stereotypical behavior on thirteen of the fifteen farms that we visited. The stereotypes, by which we mean incessant repetitive motion that serves no purpose, is a feeble attempt by the mink to deal with stress and frustration. It is a common symptom of an animal’s natural needs not being met.
“The majority of mink show typical signs of derangement that animals express when confined to areas that are too constrictive” – Sverre Sjölander, Professor in Zoology.
SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS
“A sick or injured animal shall be given necessary medical attention, if the illness or injury isn’t severe enough to justify the animal being put down immediately”.
Animal Welfare Act (1988:534) § 9.
We have found sick animals with infected eyes and ear; unconscious, convulsive and dead animals were found on two-thirds of the farms. Maimed, bleeding animals with torn-off ears, large gaping head wounds and missing limps were found on eleven of the fifteen visited farms. The horrific injuries are the result of fights caused by crowding in shockingly small cages – in the wild mink interact only to mate – but the injuries are also oftentimes caused by self-mutilation. According to 2 § of the Animal Welfare Act, animals are to be “treated well and are to be protected from unnecessary suffering and illness”.
“If a cow becomes sick, then we’re called immediately. But the mink are so many that if one animal becomes sick, then we’re not called – the animal has too little economic value for the farmer. We only get called if there is an epidemic. But every animal has an intrinsic value and the Animal Welfare Act clearly states that if an animal becomes sick, then it must be treated or euthanised. Large farms like mink farms have so many animals that it can take time before illness is discovered”
– My Leffler, District Veterinarian who used to work on mink farms.
DEAD ANIMALS IN THE CAGES
On 80% of the farms, we found dead animals in the cages – in most cases, the carcasses were left among other living animals. In many cases, the carcasses had been half-eaten by their mother and siblings.
“ In the natural world, it isn’t normal for a mink to be forced to be around another dead mink. When it happens on a farm, it can lead to cannibalism because they are so under stimulated and don’t know how to react to the situation” – Mark Collins, Veterinarian
DIRTY CAGES
On 67% of the farms, we found cages where large amounts of faeces had piled up, oftentimes in thick layers. Mink avoid their own feces so when the cage fills up with waste, an already small space becomes even smaller.
ILLEGAL SEWAGE RUNOFF
Manure runoff could be documented at 80% of the farms. Mink manure contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus and causes contamination of water and soil if leaked out into the environment. Mink farms are therefore classified as environmentally-hazardous operations. By law, manure must be stored in such a way that it is sheltered from rain while preventing soil seepage.
ILLEGAL HANDLING OF CARCASSES
“Carcasses awaiting transport shall be stored in such a way that disease cannot be spread through contact with wild animals. The waste shall be stored separate from living animals” – Board of Agriculture Regulations 2009:6, section K 14.
Dead mink that had been left to rot throughout and around the farm property, or were otherwise disposed of improperly, were found on 73% of the farms, even though all carcasses must be immediately removed and stored, preferably frozen. Many carcasses had been left to rot for at least 6 months, since the pelting season last November.
CANNIBALISM
We have documented cannibalism on half of the farms. Mink females that kill their young and littermates that kill and eat one another is more the rule than the exception. Cannibalism is caused by stress and lack of stimulation. The mink have no release for their hunting instincts and those mink that fall victim to attack have no possibility to take flight or cover in their tiny cages.
“Animals on fur farms have high levels of stress and this can cause cannibalism” – My Leffler, Veterinarian.
..
Dearest Rinpoche,
My immediate thought is “How absolutely attrocious”! Sometimes I think “how we humans can do this” and then again I catch myself and think “I am not surprised. Look at the way we treat each other!”.
Having said that, there is just no excuse for such inherent disregard for life which is based purely on greed and selfishness! How we as the so called ‘superior and intelligent’ species can justify such actions of inhumane nature is a clear indication of delusional behaviour. This is NOT normal and cannot be seen as anything but no matter how one ‘spins’ it!!!!
I am all for NO ANIMAL FUR. Just the thought of having the pelts of a poor dead animal draped over me repulses me.
I cannot get the thought of the poor minks in the report above out of my head. Imagine a human being so distrought they would knaw or chew off their own limbs…. So much suffering on so many levels its mind blowing.
Shame on people that SELL fur… shame on people that BUY fur… If anyone thinks otherwise, bring it on!!! There is no way anyone can justify killing for one’s selfish and egotistical reason. NO WAY!
I do apologise if I have offended anyone reading my comment, but my opinion is strong and unwavering on this as for me there is no compromise on killing, let alone senseless killing!
I also found this off the internet about an ex fur farmer and his account:
Words of an Ex-Fur Farmer
The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade quotes Ingvar Johansson, a former 17-year veteran of the fur farming industry: “The breeding is totally indefensible… totally unnatural. Thousands of animals are squeezed into a small area. This leads to problems as cannibalism, self-mutilation and other diseases.”
Johansson also talks about the practice of flushing. In fur farms, farmers will stop feeding the female minks in February. Mating occurs in March, and after being flushed, female minks are given high quantities of food to encourage sexual maturity. This helps to bring about higher numbers of births.
Ironically, due to the weather at this time, food often becomes frozen and the minks die of starvation. “Wearing fur was something that humans used to do during the stone ages” said Johansson. “That People still do it is a little strange.”
This is a video link on the horror of the Swedish fur trade:
http://vimeo.com/13930829
Much love… Andrew
Dear Rinpoche,
it´s true and really sad animals are treated so bad all over the world but instead of feeling sad and do bad we can do something good for animals wherever we live. A lot of people have already stoped wearing fur in Sweden but there is still a long way to go, but EVERY very step is a progress…. May the good work you do for animals in Malaysia progress and be succesful, something for all to be proud of!
There are som guidelines/suggestions from Animals Rights in Sweden at their homepage about what one can do to support stop of fure trade. I can translate and share when fishished work with hope it might be helpful for other causes to! I´m no specialist of any kind but everyone can do something.
Best Whishes
Helen Karuna
This is so gruesome! It is amazing how animals suffer and there is no way they can escape and even voice their fears, pains and sufferings. I don’t profess to be an animal lover but the atrocities afflicted upon them is really too much.
It is very inhumane of the perpetrator and they should be brought to court. I think it is great work that H. E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche has set up the Kechara Animal Sanctuary. I think we who profess to be Buddhist and practice compassion should do something according to our own capacity.
Boycotting fur apparel, leather items and even being vegetarian for the sake of these animals is but a very small way we can do to make a different. There is no way, a few of us can stop a whole industry but if we get more and more people involved, we can make our voice louder and hold more weight especially on the regional or global scale against these evil perpetrators.
Compassion IS our fashion. COMPASSION becomes our diet. Compassion is our HOPE FOR ALL.
There is NO NEED to be cruel to stay warm or to look cool. Most of the time, it is not even for comfort or warmth. It is a status symbol, not even a fashion statement. Is this what it means to become wealthy and educated? We just have more power and money to make others suffer more?
Cruelty-free fabrics and faux furs are available in stores everywhere, and organizations like PETA continues to work with designers and clothing retailers to encourage them to use and sell only animal-friendly fabrics. We seriously do not need to continue propagating the cycle of pain and suffering unto others.
By looking at the pictures alone, one should come to realize that these lovely animals are being tortured and abused for the luxury of us HUMANS.
Aren’t we human beings the ones with feelings and BRAINS? How could anyone after knowing how these animals are treated still support the fur industry? If you still do then very honestly, you do not deserve to be part of this world.
I am very sure no matter how cruel a person is, deep down we all have a soft spot. Why must we suppress the good side of us? Why can’t we let our SOFT SPOT shine? When you do bad, you may be remembered forever but with disgust. But if you do good, you will always be remembered with great honour and respect. You will be a role model to anyone and everyone even a hundred years down the road.
Last point to ponder, it is said that animals are man’s best friends. Is this how we want to treat our best friends?
Thank you for sharing this video Rinpoche. Several years ago, when I did not know any better, I bought a fur coat thinking that it looked really beautiful. I never wear it since, but it serves as a reminder how ignorant I was.
Valentina
it’s so sick that people still want to wear fur after all the anti-fur campaigns. The state if the farms is really deplorable – the karma of these animals must be horrific for them to suffer like this. May we not create the causes to end up in the three lower realms.
For those who are disgusted with the condition of these farms, the state of the animals and are not vegetarians, please look at the videos of farms for animals killed for food. It’s even worse. The animals are diseased and live in dirty conditions, are fed all sorts of chemicals and growth hormones to make them grow faster so people can make money. And you happily eat them and wear their fur or skin. Humans can be so cruel.
Ironically, by wearing fur – even though we did not directly kill these animals, we indirectly created the causes. This happened because the purchase of the end product created a demand for fur and hence creating the causes for these farms to proliferate.
By wearing fur, we indirectly create the karma to be born in a farm like that in our future lives. So while we feel sorry for these animals, let’s also feel sorry for those people who are creating the causes to end up like them and let’s help them to stop creating this kind of future while we can.
i just can’t understand why some people still like to wear fur (any sorts of animals) on them. showing off with it is just a sense of selfish-ness. if only they know how thousand of these poor animals are treated just to make ONE FUR COAT to be sell. how denial and ignorance people can be. looking at those photos really touched me and broke my heart to pieces. if only animals can speak for themselves. they’ll tell us how painful they are.
STOP BUYING FUR OR ANY ANIMAL-MADE PRODUCTS!!
Please leave your comments and let people know how you feel and why we should stop buying fur altogether. Tsem Rinpoche