Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals . It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket that keeps the animal warm.
133-563: The fur of mammals has many uses: protection, sensory purposes, waterproofing, and camouflaging, with the primary usage being thermoregulation. The types of hair include Hair length is negligible in thermoregulation, as some tropical mammals, such as sloths, have the same fur length as some arctic mammals but with less insulation; and, conversely, other tropical mammals with short hair have the same insulating value as arctic mammals. The denseness of fur can increase an animal's insulation value, and arctic mammals especially have dense fur; for example,
266-444: A "light, sweetish, ethereal" odor. Analysis of preorbital gland secretion extract showed the presence of cholesterol (which is nonvolatile), benzaldehyde , a series of straight-chain saturated γ-lactones ranging from C 8 H 14 O 2 to C 12 H 22 O 2 (with C 10 H 18 O 2 being most abundant), and probably the monounsaturated γ-lactone C 12 H 20 O 2 . The saturated γ-lactone series has an odor similar to that of
399-637: A 73-year-old man was killed in a muskox attack in Norway. The animal was later killed by local authorities. On 13 December 2022, a court services officer with the Alaska State Troopers was killed by a muskox near Nome, Alaska . The officer was trying to scare away a group of muskox near a dog kennel at his home when one of the animals attacked him. Historically, this species declined because of overhunting, but populations have recovered following enforcement of hunting regulations. Management in
532-406: A Swedish herd was established. The Norwegian population on Dovrefjell is managed over an area of 340 km (130 sq mi) and in the summer of 2012 consisted of approximately 300 animals. Since 1999, the population has mostly been increasing, but it suffered a measles outbreak in the summer of 2004 that killed 29. Some animals are also occasionally killed as a result of train collisions on
665-746: A coat, wrap, or shawl. The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on the animal's processed skin. In contrast, making leather involves removing the hair from the hide or pelt and using only the skin. Fur is also used to make felt . A common felt is made from beaver fur and is used in bowler hats , top hats , and high-end cowboy hats . Common furbearers used include fox , rabbit , mink , muskrat , leopard , beaver , ermine , otter , sable , jaguar , seal , coyote , chinchilla , raccoon , lemur , and possum . " Fur-Bearing Animals ". New International Encyclopedia . 1905. Muskox Generic: Specific: The muskox ( Ovibos moschatus )
798-418: A different type of hair. Down hair (also known as underfur , undercoat , underhair or ground hair ) is the bottom – or inner – layer, composed of wavy or curly hairs with no straight portions or sharp points. Down hairs, which are also flat, tend to be the shortest and most numerous in the coat. Thermoregulation is the principal function of the down hair, which insulates
931-423: A distinctive defensive behavior: when the herd is threatened, the adults will face outward to form a stationary ring or semicircle around the calves. The bulls are usually the front line for defense against predators, with the cows and juveniles gathering close to them. Bulls determine the defensive formation during rutting, while the cows decide the rest of the year. The preorbital gland secretion of muskoxen has
1064-417: A feeding routine that allows for multiple distributions of feed a day will help keep feed fresh and encourage appetite. In July, all mink (including kits and adult breeders) are vaccinated to prevent diseases and promote health and welfare of the herd. Once August arrives, the skeletal growth of kits is complete and the subsequent growth of primarily fat begins. The growth of fur predominantly takes place during
1197-589: A grade dictated by the attributes of their coat; this is valuable in determining which mink will be kept as breeding stock for next season. Fur quality, color, and body size are judged by the farmer or a professional grader. Fur grades are often used alongside size, weight, health history, parent reproductive success, litter size, and temperament to assess the quality and potential of each animal. The methods used to slaughter mink include neck breaking, electricity, carbon monoxide , carbon dioxide , nitrogen, argon, and lethal injection. The most common method of slaughter
1330-543: A high threshold of fat reserves in order to conceive, which reflects their conservative breeding strategy. Winter ranges typically have shallow snow to reduce the energy costs of digging through snow to reach forage. The primary predators of muskoxen are arctic wolves , which may account for up to half of all mortality for the species. Other occasional predators, likely mainly predators of calves or infirm adults, can include grizzly bears and polar bears and wolverines . Muskox are heterothermic mammals, meaning they have
1463-538: A hundred thousand dollar bounty leading to a conviction of the persons responsible. Undercover footage was also released by the ALF in 2015 of several Ontario area mink farms, showcasing injured animals and mink cages covered in feces and maggots. Animal rights organizations across the province have taken a wide array of actions to stop the fur trade, such as public protests and disruptions of fur fashion shows. In 2005, animals rights group The Swiss Animal Protection produced
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#17327879242201596-419: A layer of dry air next to the skin. The awn hair can be thought of as a hybrid, bridging the gap between the distinctly different characteristics of down and guard hairs. Awn hairs begin their growth much like guard hairs, but less than halfway to their full length, awn hairs start to grow thin and wavy like down hair. The proximal part of the awn hair assists in thermoregulation (like the down hair), whereas
1729-493: A nest of 50 × 50 cm and also have a water basin of at least 2 × 2 metres and 50 cm deep in which to swim. Farmers argue that 50 years ago, the animals were kept in large outdoor holding areas, with pools of water. However, such farms resulted in high disease rates for the animals and were not practical. Farmers claim that today's farmed animals only know farm life as they have been domesticated through over 100 of years of selective breeding. The methods used for slaughtering
1862-653: A northern European breed, was introduced into Canada in 1968. Most mink production in Canada occurs in Nova Scotia which, with 116 licensed farms in 2016, generated revenues of nearly $ 54 million by contributing approximately 1.4 million pelts to global markets. That accounted for an average of half of all Canada's mink pelts. Production of black mink in particular has grown significantly since 2000, with emerging markets in Russia, China, and South Korea accounting for most of
1995-470: A period of isolation and expanded later, replacing the remaining populations of Praeovibos . Two more Praeovibos -like genera were named in America in the 19th century, Bootherium and Symbos , which are now identified as the male and female forms of a single, sexually dimorphic species, the "woodland muskox", Bootherium bombifrons . Bootherium inhabited open woodland areas of North America during
2128-458: A phase-out ban on fur farming in Ireland with the finer details to be announced afterwards. Legislation banning fur farming in Ireland was brought into force on 4 April 2022, resulting in the closure of Ireland's three remaining fur farms. Fur farming of chinchillas and foxes is banned. Legislation to phase out mink fur farming (and thereby effectively all fur farming) by 2024 was approved by
2261-518: A plan in 2022 to close down all fur farms by 2030. Fur farming was not present as of 2023 in Portugal and Cyprus . Demand fell in the late 1980s and 1990s as a result of a number of factors, including the efforts of animal rights campaigners and the failure of designers to come up with exciting new lines. Since the turn of the millennium, however, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fueled by radically new techniques for working with fur, and
2394-460: A process of review in a subject commission. On 21 November 2014, the Estonian animal advocacy organization Loomus submitted a petition to ban fur farming in the country with a 10-year transition period with 10 000 signatures to the parliament. This was preceded by secretly filmed anonymous documentary footage being aired both online via YouTube and on Estonian National Television depicting
2527-484: A raccoon dog being skinned alive before being thrown onto a heap of carcasses. After the skinning it still had enough strength to lift its bloodied head and stare into the camera. A 2013 investigation by a Dalian-based Chinese animal welfare group reported similarly cruel practices at various fur farms in Liaoning province. The International Fur Federation [ de ] found two fur workers who had appeared in
2660-563: A railway over Dovrefjell found two fossil muskox vertebrae. This led to the idea of introducing muskoxen to Norway from Greenland. The first release in the world was made on Gurskøy outside Ålesund in 1925–26. They were muskoxen caught by Norwegian seal-hunting boats in Greenland. The animals colonized the island, but eventually died out there. An attempt to introduce the muskox to Svalbard also failed. Seventeen animals were released in 1929 by Adventfjorden on West Spitsbergen . In 1940,
2793-509: A right to instigate parliamentarian law initiatives since 2012. The first citizens' initiative to gain enough signatures was that instituting a ban on fur farming. Some 70,000 citizens signed the initiative within the required time period in 2013. In a march to Parliament House, Helsinki on 18 June., four to five hundred people appealed to members of parliament to approve the citizens' initiative to ban fur farming. According to animal expert MSc Sesse Koivisto (wife of Ilkka Koivisto ex-director of
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#17327879242202926-577: A sharp rise in disposable income in China and Russia. This growing demand has led to the development of extensive fur farming operations in China and Poland . During the COVID-19 pandemic , mink turned out to be very susceptible to human–mink infection, sparking fears of widespread outbreaks and mutations in the mink farm populations of many countries that could in turn infect humans with different strains of
3059-446: A statement, outlining welfare practices it claimed to practice on its fur farms and calling the alleged practice of skinning animals alive "unimaginable." Swiss Animal Protection then published a 2009 video showing the skinning of raccoon dogs and other canids . The video showed them being beaten with sticks and thrown to the ground in an attempt to kill them before being hung from their rear legs and skinned alive. One investigator filmed
3192-687: A study on the economic significance of the industry from the Estonian University of Life Sciences published in 2016, which did not state the exact number of farms in existence but did outline that the mink and fox farms employed 74 full-time workers in 2014, with the majority concentrated in the largest factory in the Baltic States , in Karjaküla , near Tallinn . It also reported the chinchilla farms employed 20.5 full-time workers in 2014. The activists have voiced their concern about
3325-766: A subordinate with its foreleg, something they do to cows during mating. Dominant bulls will also mock copulate subordinates and sniff their genitals. A subordinate bull can change his status by charging a dominant bull. The mating (or "rutting") season of the muskoxen begins in late June or early July. During this time, dominant bulls will fight others out of the herds and establish harems of usually six or seven cows and their offspring. Fighting bulls will first rub their preorbital glands against their legs while bellowing loudly, and then display their horns. The bulls then back up about 20 m (66 ft), lower their heads, and charge into each other, and will keep doing so until one bull gives up. Subordinate and elderly bulls will leave
3458-434: A time that is most beneficial for the mother and litter. Ranchers should ensure the kits are able to consume solid feed and drink water independently before they are ready for weaning. Very rapid growth takes place during the growth phase of the production cycle. For about 10–11 weeks, it is critical that the juvenile kits have access to adequate amounts of feed that is formulated to meet their nutritional needs. Maintaining
3591-543: A video alleging that fur-bearing animals – including the "Asiatic raccoon" ( raccoon dog ) – were being skinned while still alive in Shangcun Market. The China Fur Commission and China Leather Industry Association challenged the authenticity of the video, stating: "Pictures showing animals being skinned alive are obviously plotted. All those with common sense would not choose this slaughter method to attain fur." The government of Suning County, Hebei Province also issued
3724-451: A year. The kits are taken from their mothers at 4 weeks old and put in a nursery with other kits. After this, the mothers are kept separated from their kits, and they get put together only for feeding. When the kits are 7 to 8 weeks old, they are put in solitary cages, where they are kept for about 6–7 months, and are slaughtered after they have shed their winter fur. The rabbits are kept in bare wire mesh cages . A cage for one rabbit has
3857-629: Is a hoofed mammal of the family Bovidae . Native to the Arctic , it is noted for its thick coat and for the strong odor emitted by males during the seasonal rut , from which its name derives. This musky odor has the effect of attracting females during mating season . Its Inuktitut name "umingmak" translates to "the bearded one". Its Woods Cree names "mâthi-môs" and "mâthi-mostos" translate to "ugly moose" and "ugly bison", respectively. In historic times, muskoxen primarily lived in Greenland and
3990-858: Is by subjecting the animal to a chamber that contains carbon monoxide. Pelting takes place either on site or upon shipping the mink to an offsite operation. After pelting, mink bodies are typically sent for either incineration or rendering where they can be converted into bone and meat meal. The meat from most fur-bearers is not usually eaten by humans, therefore the carcasses will go on to become various products such as pet food , animal feed, organic compost, fertilizer, paint, and even tires. Carcasses sometimes go to animal sanctuaries, zoos, and aquariums to feed animals, and some end up as crab bait. Some biological supply companies offer preserved skinned carcasses of ranched mink for classroom dissection specimens as an alternative to cats or other domesticated mammals. Mink feces are used as organic crop fertiliser, and mink fat
4123-414: Is driven largely by camouflage. Differences in female and male coat color may indicate nutrition and hormone levels, important in mate selection. Some arboreal mammals, notably primates and marsupials, have shades of violet, green, or blue skin on parts of their bodies, indicating some distinct advantage in their largely arboreal habitat due to convergent evolution . The green coloration of sloths, however,
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4256-421: Is essential that management practices employ a feeding program that maintains a nutritional diet that is adequate for both male and female mink. A feeding program that encourages the removal of excess weight and an environment that facilitates an increase in exercise is important for good production and a successful whelp. Mink are usually fed once or twice a day during the growing season; on most farms they are fed
4389-608: Is expected in such a small population which originated from only a few introduced animals. In addition to the population on Dovrefjell, the University of Tromsø had some animals on Ryøya [ de ] outside Tromsø until 2018. Muskoxen were introduced to Svalbard in 1925–26 and 1929, but this population died out in the 1970s. They were also introduced in Iceland around 1930 but did not survive. In Russia , animals imported from Banks and Nunivak were released in
4522-523: Is highly prized for its softness, length, and insulation value. Prices for yarn range between $ 1.5 and $ 3/g ($ 40 and $ 80/oz). A muskox can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph). Their life expectancy is between 12 and 20 years. During the Pleistocene period, muskoxen were much more widespread. Fossil evidence shows that they lived across the Siberian and North American Arctic, from
4655-467: Is in the subtribe Ovibovina (or tribe Ovibovini) in the tribe Caprini (or subfamily Caprinae) of the subfamily Antilopinae in the family Bovidae. It is therefore more closely related to sheep and goats than to oxen ; it is placed in its own genus, Ovibos ( Latin : "sheep-ox"). It is one of the two largest extant members of the caprines, along with the similarly sized Takin Budorcas . While
4788-714: Is no longer economically viable). In 2006, approximately 170,000 mink and 300 foxes were harvested in the Republic of Ireland. Furs were exported from the Republic of Ireland to other EU member states or to countries in Asia and North America. In the Republic of Ireland, fur farms were monitored by the Department of Agriculture , and welfare standards of Ireland and the European Union were required to be adhered to at all times. In October 2009, there were discussions within
4921-611: Is often compared, can weigh up to twice as much. However, heavy zoo-kept specimens have weighed up to 650 kg (1,430 lb). Their coat, a mix of black, gray and brown, includes long guard hairs that almost reach the ground. Rare "white muskoxen" have been spotted in the Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary . Muskoxen are occasionally semi-domesticated for wool, and rarely for meat and milk. The U.S. state of Alaska has several muskoxen farms specifically aimed at wool harvesting. The wool , called qiviut ,
5054-581: Is often shortened by extending the daylight period by use of artificial lighting. Females give birth to 5–6 kits on average. Since kits are born altricial , the female spends most of her time in the nest boxes caring for them. Mink kits are fully dependent on the dam's milk and will nurse for the first four weeks of their life. Maternal care is essential to promote offspring survival and growth, particularly in American mink who give birth to altricial young. Ranchers should check them regularly to ensure all
5187-724: Is strictly regulated by law. The Finnish Furbreeders Association has developed its own national program of certification and animal health welfare that is tied to the ISO 9001 standard and monitored by the Det Norske Veritas . The fur animals are housed in shelter buildings or halls, where each animal has a specific place marked with a kit card. The Humane Society of the United States published videos in 2019 and 2021 showing minks with untreated wounds along with foxes with allegedly deformed feet, missing ears, or diseased eyes on
5320-443: Is the result of a symbiotic relationship with algae. Coat color is sometimes sexually dimorphic , as in many primate species . Coat color may influence the ability to retain heat, depending on how much light is reflected. Mammals with darker colored coats can absorb more heat from solar radiation and stay warmer; some smaller mammals, such as voles , have darker fur in the winter. The white, pigmentless fur of arctic mammals, such as
5453-462: Is the world's leading producer of fox pelts. In the United States, fox production is about 10,000 pelts , produced in about 10 states. Canada produces ten to fifteen times as many fox furs as the USA. The United States banned the import, export, and sale of products made from dog and cat fur in 2000. Italy, France, Denmark, Greece , Belgium, and Australia ban the import of domestic cat and dog fur but
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5586-415: Is therefore an example of convergent evolution . The modern muskox is the last member of a line of ovibovines that first evolved in temperate regions of Asia and adapted to a cold tundra environment late in its evolutionary history. Muskox ancestors with sheep-like high-positioned horns (horn cores being mostly over the plane of the frontal bones , rather than below them as in modern muskoxen) first left
5719-415: Is turned into oil to manufacture soap, face oils, cosmetics, and leather treatments. Methods used on fur farms to maximize profits are employed at the expense of the welfare of fur producing animals , though the exact scope of cruelty in the industry is hotly debated. As with other types of animal farming , living conditions of animals vary, and extreme cases are of much contention. According to PETA,
5852-529: The Bering Land Bridge two million years ago and prospered in the American southwest and Mexico . Euceratherium was larger yet more lightly built than modern muskoxen, resembling a giant sheep with massive horns, and preferred hilly grasslands. A genus with intermediate horns, Soergelia , inhabited Eurasia in the early Pleistocene, from Spain to Siberia, and crossed to North America during
5985-737: The Canadian Arctic of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut . They were formerly present in Eurasia, with their youngest natural records in the region dating to around 2,700 years ago, with reintroduced populations in the American state of Alaska , the Canadian territory of Yukon , and Siberia , and an introduced population in Norway , part of which emigrated to Sweden , where a small population now lives. The muskox
6118-621: The Dovre Railway . The population is divided into flocks in the Nystuguhø [ no ] area, Kolla [ no ] area and Hjerkinn . In the summer they move down towards Driva , where there are lush grass pastures. Although the muskox belongs to the dry Arctic grassland, it seems to do well on Dovrefjell. However, the pastures are marginal, with little grass available in winter (the muskox eats only plants, not lichen as reindeer do), and over time, inbreeding depression
6251-533: The Irvingtonian (1.8 million years to 240,000 years ago), soon after Euceratherium . Unlike Euceratherium , which survived in America until the Pleistocene- Holocene extinction event , Soergelia was a lowland dweller which disappeared fairly early, displaced by more advanced ungulates, such as the "giant muskox" Praeovibos (literally "before Ovibos "). The low-horned Praeovibos
6384-600: The Korkeasaari Zoo ) in Helsingin Sanomat in 2010, fur farming did not provide acceptable conditions for the animals. In order to stop the suffering of animals, she demanded a ban on fur farming in Helsingin Sanomat, as in some other countries. On 19 June 2013, the Finnish Parliament rejected the first citizens' initiative to ban fur farming. A positive development in the politics of Finland
6517-669: The Scandinavian ice sheet and covered in tundra during cold periods, but Pleistocene muskoxen are also rarely recorded in more benign and wooded areas to the south like France and Green Spain , where they coexisted with temperate ungulates like red deer and aurochs . Likewise, the muskox is known to have survived in Britain during warm interglacial periods. Today's muskoxen are descended from others believed to have migrated from Siberia to North America between 200,000 and 90,000 years ago, having previously occupied Alaska (at
6650-911: The Southern United States and the western shrubland, respectively. Though they were always less common than other Ice Age megafauna, muskox abundance peaked during the Würm II glaciation 20,000 years ago and declined afterwards, especially during the Pleistocene / Holocene extinction event , where its range was greatly reduced and only the populations in North America survived. The last known muskox population in Europe died out in Sweden 9,000 years ago. In Asia, muskox persisted until just 615-555 BCE in Tumat , Sakha Republic . Following
6783-674: The Sphynx cat . Similarly, there are some breeds of hairless dogs . Other examples of artificially selected hairless animals include the hairless guinea-pig , nude mouse , and the hairless rat . Fur has long served as a source of clothing for humans, including Neanderthals . Historically, it was worn for its insulating quality, with aesthetics becoming a factor over time. Pelts were worn in or out, depending on their characteristics and desired use. Today fur and trim used in garments may be dyed bright colors or to mimic exotic animal patterns, or shorn close like velvet . The term "a fur" may connote
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#17327879242206916-882: The Taymyr Peninsula in 1974 and 1975, and some from Nunivak were released in Wrangel Island in 1975. Both locations are north of the Arctic Circle . By 2019 the population on Wrangel Island was about 1100, and the Taymyr Peninsula, about 11,000–14,000. A few muskoxen herds migrated from the Taymyr Peninsula far to the south to the Putorana Plateau . Once established, these populations have been, in turn, used as sources for further reintroductions in Siberia between 1996 and 2010. One of
7049-702: The Urals to Greenland . The ancestors of today's muskoxen came across the Bering Land Bridge to North America between 200,000 and 90,000 years ago. During the Wisconsinan , modern muskox thrived in the tundra south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet , in what is now the Midwest , the Appalachians and Virginia , while distant relatives Bootherium and Euceratherium lived in the forests of
7182-498: The distal part can shed water (like the guard hair). The awn hair's thin basal portion does not allow the amount of piloerection that the stiffer guard hairs are capable of. Mammals with well-developed down and guard hairs also usually have large numbers of awn hairs, which may even sometimes be the bulk of the visible coat. Guard hair ( overhair ) is the top—or outer—layer of the coat. Guard hairs are longer, generally coarser, and have nearly straight shafts that protrude through
7315-541: The fur industry as a furbearer . The use of fur as clothing or decoration is controversial; animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms . The modern mammalian fur arrangement is known to have occurred as far back as docodonts , haramiyidans and eutriconodonts , with specimens of Castorocauda , Megaconus and Spinolestes preserving compound follicles with both guard hair and underfur. Fur may consist of three layers, each with
7448-518: The muskox has guard hairs measuring 30 cm (12 in) as well as a dense underfur, which forms an airtight coat, allowing them to survive in temperatures of −40 °C (−40 °F). Some desert mammals, such as camels, use dense fur to prevent solar heat from reaching their skin, allowing the animal to stay cool; a camel's fur may reach 70 °C (158 °F) in the summer, but the skin stays at 40 °C (104 °F). Aquatic mammals , conversely, trap air in their fur to conserve heat by keeping
7581-521: The qiviut industry showed early success with the training of Inuit knitters and marketing, but it soon became clear that the Quebec government had never intended that the muskoxen be domestic, but had used INAR to capture muskoxen to provide a wild population for hunting . Government officials demanded that INAR leave Quebec and the farm be closed. Subsequently, 54 animals from the farm were released in three places in northern Quebec between 1973 and 1983, and
7714-585: The 1950s, an American researcher and adventurer was able to capture muskox calves in Northern Canada for relocation to a property he prepared in Vermont. One condition imposed by the Canadian government was that he was not allowed to kill adults defending their young. When nets and ropes proved useless, he and his crew herded family groups into open water, where calves were successfully separated from
7847-528: The 2009 video and through interviews as well as affidavits , alleged they were approached by two others to stage the cruelty. A 2018 Shanghaiist article noted that although it was more than likely some animals had been skinned alive in China, to extrapolate that all or most of the farms did this was wrong. In 2006, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) announced it was planning to offer training courses for fur farmers to improve
7980-552: The American fur industry as "shrinking with no end in sight." Today, 85 percent of the fur clothing industry's pelts come from animals raised on farms. The rest is from animals caught in the wild. The most farmed fur-bearing animal is the mink (50 million annually), followed by the fox (about 4 million annually). Asiatic and Finnish raccoon and chinchilla are also farmed for their fur. As of 2008, 64 percent of fur farms were in Northern Europe, 11 percent in North America, and
8113-456: The EU still farmed animals for fur, and three of these countries had issued a legal ban on the activity effective within several years. The EU accounted for 63% of global mink production and 70% of fox production. Globally, the top fur producers were China and Finland . Denmark was also leading, accounting for approximately 28% of world mink fur production, until its government culled all of
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#17327879242208246-461: The Holocene in Siberia, with their youngest records in the region being from the Taymyr Peninsula , dating to around 2,700 years ago (~700 BC). Both male and female muskoxen have long, curved horns . Muskoxen stand 1.1 to 1.5 m (3 ft 7 in to 4 ft 11 in) high at withers , with females measuring 135 to 200 cm (4 ft 5 in to 6 ft 7 in) in length, and
8379-458: The Kolyma itself and elsewhere, including wild horses , reindeer, woolly mammoth and stag-moose . It is debated, however, if Praeovibos was directly ancestral to Ovibos , or both genera descended from a common ancestor, since the two occurred together during the middle Pleistocene. Defenders of ancestry from Praeovibos have proposed that Praeovibos evolved into Ovibos in one region during
8512-706: The Pleistocene, but also more genetically diverse . During that time, other populations of muskoxen lived across the Arctic, from the Ural Mountains to Greenland. By contrast, the current genetic makeup of the species is more homogenous. Climate fluctuation may have affected this shift in genetic diversity: research indicates colder periods in Earth's history are correlated with more diversity, and warmer periods with more homogeneity. Muskox populations survived into
8645-408: The ability to shut off thermal regulation in some parts of their body, like their lower limbs. Maintaining the lower limbs at a cooler temperature than the rest of their body helps reduce the loss of body heat from their extremities. Muskox display the unique characteristic of having hemoglobin that is three times less temperature sensitive than human hemoglobin. This temperature insensitivity allows
8778-464: The adults. Once airfreighted to Montreal and trucked to Vermont, the young animals habituated to the temperate conditions. Although the calves thrived and grew to adulthood, parasite and disease resistance problems impaired the overall success of the effort. The surviving herd was eventually moved to a farm in Palmer, Alaska , where it has been successful since the mid-1950s. In 1913, workers building
8911-609: The animals on farms and in the wild vary depending on the animal. For farmed mink, the American Veterinary Medical Association researches the best methods and publishes a report on the subject every 7 to 10 years. This report is used to guide state departments of agriculture which have jurisdiction over farm animals, including farm-raised mink. For those harvesting wild furs, biologists and wildlife managers dictate seasons, method of slaughter, and numbers of animals to be harvested. In Austria, six of
9044-469: The best resources and will displace subordinates from patches of grass during the winter. Muskox bulls assert their dominance in many different ways. One is a "rush and butt", in which a dominant bull rushes a subordinate from the side with its horns, and will warn the subordinate so it can have a chance to get away. Bulls will also roar, swing their heads, and paw the ground. Dominant bulls sometimes treat subordinate bulls like cows. A dominant bull will tap
9177-403: The bias inherent in the study, which according to them by and large ignored ethical and environmental arguments, as a number of the experts in the study panel were found to have direct links to and vested interests in the fur industry. The commission is expected to formulate their opinion and vote whether the petition would move on to a law drafting phase and public discussion in the full quorum of
9310-430: The black-and-white pelage of many mammals which are able to defend themselves, such as in the foul-smelling skunk and the powerful and aggressive honey badger . In arctic and subarctic mammals such as the arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus ), collared lemming ( Dicrostonyx groenlandicus ), stoat ( Mustela erminea ), and snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus ), seasonal color change between brown in summer and white in winter
9443-574: The city of Vancouver have been using legal and illegal actions to protest selling fur such as vandalism, home demonstrations of fur shop owners, and organizing public protests. Canadian fur farms in the Province of Ontario have been repeatedly targeted by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Thousands of mink were freed from farms across the province during 2013 and 2015. The mink breeders association of Ontario responded by offering
9576-428: The conditions of the animals in 2012 (aired 2013) and 2014. The Estonian animal advocacy organization Loomus issued a comment after the airings of Estonian Public Broadcasting outlining the documented disregard animal welfare regulations and pointing out the numerous injuries of animals that were documented. The petition has since been under review in the commission of agricultural affairs. The commission procured
9709-529: The coronavirus, making it potentially immune for a COVID-19 vaccine . Several mink farms in the Netherlands have been entirely culled since June 2020, and in August 2020 the phaseout of fur farming was accelerated from 1 January 2024 to 1 March 2021. In July 2020, Spain culled 100,000 mink. On 6 November 2020, Denmark announced it would cull its entire 17 million mink population as an emergency to prevent
9842-433: The country 2023), Slovakia (effective 2025), Norway (effective February 2025), Estonia (effective 2025), Lithuania (effective 2027) and Latvia (effective 2028). In Switzerland and Germany , the regulations for fur farming are very strict, with the result that there are no fur farms. Denmark (2009), France (2020) and Hungary (2021) introduced a ban on fur farming of certain species, while Spain announced
9975-597: The disappearance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet , the muskox gradually moved north across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago , arriving in Greenland from Ellesmere Island at about 350 AD, during the late Holocene . Their arrival in northwestern Greenland probably occurred within a few hundred years of the arrival of the Dorset and Thule cultures in the present-day Qaanaaq area. Human predation around Qaanaaq may have restricted muskoxen from moving down
10108-537: The ecological conditions in the northern Labrador Peninsula are suitable for them. In 1967, 14 animals were captured near Eureka on Ellesmere Island by the Institute for Northern Agricultural Research (INAR) and brought to a farm in Old Fort Chimo Kuujjuaq , northern Quebec, for domestication to provide a local cottage industry based on qiviut , a fine natural fiber. The animals thrived and
10241-629: The end of 2012. PETA published a video in 2019 alleging that animals were "still suffering terribly" in Russian fur farms, with slaughter methods involving beating, decapitation while conscious, and prolonged electrocution. In July 2020, Spain culled 100,000 mink after a farm in the Aragon province was infected with COVID-19. As of November 2020, there were about 35 to 40 mink farms in Sweden, 10 of which had been infected with COVID-19. The government
10374-420: The end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare. In 1923, Mathias F. Chapman brought the eleven wild chinchillas he had captured to the U.S. for breeding. Only three of these were female. Empress Chinchilla is the breeders association for the chinchilla farmers, many of whom are based in the United States, including California. Empress Chinchilla runs a certification program for farmers. . Finland
10507-631: The existence of other ice-free areas in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago at the time is disputed. Along with the bison and the pronghorn , the muskox was one of a few species of Pleistocene megafauna in North America to survive the Pleistocene/ Holocene extinction event and live to the present day. The muskox is thought to have been able to survive the last glacial period by finding ice-free areas ( refugia ) away from prehistoric peoples. Fossil DNA evidence suggests that muskoxen were not only more geographically widespread during
10640-437: The fall where it begins at the tail and continues up the back and to the head. Ranchers maintain a clean, healthy environment during this time by performing daily husbandry practices, this includes; cleaning nest boxes, removal of surrounding debris and manure from the barn, bedding the cages, and up-keeping the cleanliness of the facility and farming equipment. Ranchers are diligent toward creating an environment that prioritizes
10773-421: The farmers' stocks without legal authority in 2020. Finland is the largest United States supplier of fox pelts. The United States is a major exporter of fur skins. Major export markets include China, Russia , Canada , and the EU. Exports to Asia as a share of total exports grew from 22% in 1998 to 47% in 2002. As of 2012, Russia was reported to be the world's biggest sales market for fur. China has been
10906-445: The farms. On 29 September 2020, Environment Minister Barbara Pompili announced that France's four remaining mink farms would be closed within the next 5 years. On 21 September 2023, Lithuanian parliament Seimas adopted a law banning fur farming by 2027. Owners of fur farms will be compensated, but the size of the compensations has been the subject of complaints from the business community. They will be paid 3 euros per animal in
11039-475: The fashion for beaver hats led to intense competition for the raw materials. Starting in the latter half of the 20th century, producers and wearers of fur have been criticized by animal rights activists because of the cruelty involved in animal trapping , and because of the widespread availability of inexpensive substitutes including natural fibers (such as cotton , hemp ) as well as synthetic fibers. In 1991, New York Times journalist John F. Burns described
11172-489: The female by providing ample aspen bedding in which she can create a nest. It is well known that female mink are highly motivated to perform maternal-related nest building during the majority of their gestation period, this is why providing an abundance of substrate to prepare a nest is crucial to maintain the animals welfare. Unnecessary stress and noises should be avoided so due to the sensitivity of female mink during late gestation. Gestation varies from 40 to 70 days, this time
11305-548: The first year, 2 euros per animal in the second year and one euro in the final year. The government will also compensate redundancy payments for farm workers and cover costs related to the demolition of buildings, the destruction of equipment and waste management. In the Republic of Ireland there were three fur farms in operation as of August 2014. These farms focused mainly on the trade of mink fur (some farms which previously used fox fur were winding down operation as such trade
11438-485: The floor space of about two shoe boxes. The mortality rate for caged Rex is 10–15%, mostly from respiratory disease . During this time of year, ranchers are primarily focused on bringing their selected mink into a good condition that is suitable for breeding. Mink are a monoestrous species that undergo delayed implantation when bred successfully, this means that the breeding season can be the most strenuous time of year both in terms of animal nutrition and human labor. It
11571-486: The fur farm were seized by animal welfare organizations and some were in such poor condition that they had to be euthanized. Following the S.P.C.A. investigation, this Quebec fur farm was raided by anonymous activists who set free thousands of animals. Video footage taken at fur farms in 2014 in British Columbia by the A.P.F.A. was described by the S.P.C.A. as "inherently inhumane". Animal rights activists in
11704-487: The future of the global fur trade. While wearing fur clothing in cold weather as protection goes back to the Stone Age, the source for this material came from the wild. As human populations grew, furs, leathers , and hides for use in clothing came from farm stock, such as sheep (sheepskin), rabbits, cattle, pigs, and goats. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of red fox breeding in the late Iron Age on Orkney , off
11837-417: The gene HR can lead to complete hair loss , though this is not typical in humans. At times, when a hairless domesticated animal is discovered, usually owing to a naturally occurring genetic mutation, humans may intentionally inbreed those hairless individuals and, after multiple generations, artificially create hairless breeds. There are several breeds of hairless cats, perhaps the most commonly known being
11970-516: The herd numbered 50, but in the 1970s, the whole herd disappeared. In September 1932, polar researcher Adolf Hoel conducted another experiment, importing 10 muskoxen to Dovrefjell. This herd survived until World War II , when they were hunted and exterminated. In 1947 and later, new animals were released. A small group of muskoxen from Dovrefjell migrated across the national border to Sweden in 1971 and established themselves in Härjedalen , whereby
12103-417: The herds to form bachelor groups or become solitary. However, when danger is present, the outside bulls can return to the herd for protection. Dominant bulls will prevent cows from leaving their harems. During mating, a bull will tap an estrous cow with his foreleg to calm her down and make her more receptive to his advances. The herds reassemble when summer ends. While the bulls are more aggressive during
12236-402: The kits are warm, receiving enough milk, and are growing well. Females can lose significant body condition during lactation so their health is monitored by visual observations of behavior, appearance, and feed consumption. Weaning takes place when the kits reach approximately 6–8 weeks old. The changes that take place during weaning can be stressful for both dam and kits therefore is done at
12369-406: The larger males 200 to 250 cm (6 ft 7 in to 8 ft 2 in). The small tail, often concealed under a layer of fur, measures only 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Adults, on average, weigh 285 kg (628 lb), but can range from 180 to 410 kg (400 to 900 lb). The thick coat and large head suggest a larger animal than the muskox truly is; the bison, to which the muskox
12502-475: The largest extant terrestrial mammals, the elephant and the rhinoceros , are largely hairless. The hairless bat is mostly hairless but does have short bristly hairs around its neck, on its front toes, and around the throat sac, along with fine hairs on the head and tail membrane. Most hairless animals cannot go in the sun for long periods of time, or stay in the cold for too long. Marsupials are born hairless and grow out fur later in development. Humans are
12635-610: The last of these actions was the release of six animals within the Pleistocene Park project area in the Kolyma River in 2010, where a team of Russian scientists led by Sergey Zimov aims to prove that muskoxen, along with other Pleistocene megafauna that survived into the early Holocene in northern Siberia, did not disappear from the region due to climate change, but because of human hunting. Ancient muskox remains have never been found in eastern Canada , although
12768-1017: The late 1900s was mostly conservative hunting quotas to foster recovery and recolonization from the historic declines. The current world population of muskoxen is estimated at between 80,000 and 125,000, with an estimated 47,000 living on Banks Island . In Greenland, there are no major threats. However, populations are often small in size and scattered; this makes them vulnerable to local fluctuations in climate. Most populations are within national parks, where they are protected from hunting. Muskoxen occur in four of Greenland's protected areas, with indigenous populations in Northeast Greenland National Park and introduced populations in Arnangarnup Qoorua Nature Reserve and Kangerlussuaq and Maniitsoq Caribou Reserves . In these areas, muskoxen receive full protection. Muskoxen are being domesticated for
12901-689: The late Pleistocene, from Alaska to Texas and maybe even Mexico, but was most common in the Southern United States , while Ovibos replaced it in the tundra-steppe to the north, immediately south of the Laurentian ice sheet . Modern Ovibos appeared in Germany almost one million years ago and was common in the region through the Pleistocene. By the Mindel, muskoxen had also reached the British Isles . Both Germany and Britain were just south of
13034-421: The layer of softer down hair. The distal end of the guard hair is the visible layer of most mammal coats. This layer has the most marked pigmentation and gloss , manifesting as coat markings that are adapted for camouflage or display. Guard hair repels water and blocks sunlight, protecting the undercoat and skin in wet or aquatic habitats, and from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. Guard hairs can also reduce
13167-473: The living conditions of fur animals. Legislation was drafted in September 2009 to address any cruelty to animals in China. If passed, the legislation would regulate how farm animals are raised, transported, and slaughtered. Estonian citizens have a partial right to submit initiatives with at least 1000 signatures to the parliament since 2014. They do not directly go to the parliamentary hall but go through
13300-521: The majority of fur farmers pack animals into small cages, preventing them from taking more than a few steps back and forth. PETA claims foxes and other animals suffer as a result of the confined environment, and may even cannibalize each other as a reaction to their confinement. In other cases, as with passing of animal welfare legislation in Italy, animals are required to be given enriched living environments in which they can climb on branches, dig holes, use
13433-717: The muskox onto Nunivak Island in 1935 to support subsistence living. Other reintroduced populations are in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , Bering Land Bridge National Preserve , Yukon 's Ivvavik National Park , a wildlife conservation center in Anchorage , Aulavik National Park in Northwest Territories , Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge , Gates of the Arctic National Park , and Whitehorse, Yukon 's wildlife preserve. There have been at least two domestication endeavours. In
13566-523: The muskox's hemoglobin to have a heightened oxygen affinity in an extremely cold environment and continue to diffuse high amounts of oxygen into its cold tissues. Muskoxen live in herds of 12–24 in the winter and 8–20 in the summer when dominant bulls expel other males from the herd. They do not hold territories, but they do mark their trails with preorbital glands . Male and female muskoxen have separate age-based hierarchies, with mature oxen being dominant over juveniles. Dominant oxen tend to get access to
13699-600: The new demand. Black mink was first bred in Nova Scotia in the late 1950s and has proven popular as a versatile colour. Most Nova Scotia fur product is sold in China where it is manufactured into luxury garments. The international trade in chinchilla fur goes back to the 16th century and the animal (whose name literally means "Little Chincha") is named after the Chincha people of the Andes , who wore its soft, dense fur. By
13832-444: The next year. When calving, cows stay in the herd for protection. Muskox are precocial , and calves can keep up with the herd within just a few hours after birth. The calves are welcomed into the herd and nursed for the first two months. After that, a calf then begins eating vegetation and nurses only occasionally. Cows communicate with their calves through braying. The calf's bond with its mother weakens after two years. Muskoxen have
13965-576: The nine federal states have banned fur farming, and the remaining three enforce such strict welfare regulations, in relation to the availability of swimming water, that fur farming is no longer economically viable. In 2014, for the first time in Canadian history, a Quebec fur farmer by the name of Jean-Luc Rodier was charged with animal cruelty following an investigation by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (S.P.C.A.). Fox and mink at
14098-702: The northern coast of Scotland. After the attack of the Vikings in Scotland around 800 CE, the breeding is said to have stopped. The earliest records of breeding mink for fur in North America were in the 1860s. Foxes were first raised on farms for fur in Prince Edward Island in Canada in 1895. Historically, the fur trade played an important economic role in the United States. Fur trappers explored and opened up large parts of North America, and
14231-483: The only primate species that have undergone significant hair loss. The hairlessness of humans compared to related species may be due to loss of functionality in the pseudogene KRTHAP1 (which helps produce keratin ) Although the researchers dated the mutation to 240 000 ya, both the Altai Neandertal and Denisovan peoples possessed the loss-of-function mutation, indicating it is much older. Mutations in
14364-503: The parliament in the fall of 2016. On 22 August 2016, activists launched an additional international petition inviting the Estonian Parliament to ban fur farming in the country at change.org. Estonian parliament banned fur farms on 2 June 2021. There is a transitional period that permits keeping mink and raccoon dogs in farms until the end of 2025 if the permit was issued before 1 July 2021. Finnish citizens have had
14497-642: The polar bear, may reflect more solar radiation directly onto the skin. The term pelage – first known use in English c. 1828 (French, from Middle French, from poil for 'hair', from Old French peilss , from Latin pilus ) – is sometimes used to refer to an animal's complete coat . The term fur is also used to refer to animal pelts that have been processed into leather with their hair still attached. The words fur or furry are also used, more casually, to refer to hair-like growths or formations, particularly when
14630-434: The political sphere on the banning of fur farms in the Republic of Ireland. Animal welfare groups welcomed such proposals, though concern was highlighted, in terms of its impact on rural communities where alternative industries are scarce. Fur farming in the Republic of Ireland contributed about €15 million per year to the economy as of 2014. A ban was subsequently passed before being overturned by Minister for Agriculture at
14763-480: The production of qiviut . Fur farming Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur . Most of the world's farmed fur was produced by European farmers . In 2018, there were 5,000 fur farms in the EU , located across 22 countries; these areas of production collectively accounted for 50% of the global production of farmed fur. However, by 2023 only 11 countries in
14896-426: The region. During the summer, muskoxen live in wet areas, such as river valleys, moving to higher elevations in the winter to avoid deep snow. Muskoxen will eat grasses, arctic willows , woody plants, lichens (above lichens are excluded from the menu) , and mosses. When food is abundant, they prefer succulent and nutritious grasses in an area. Willows are the most commonly eaten plants in the winter. Muskoxen require
15029-492: The remaining were ceded to local zoos . Between 1983 and 1986, the released animals increased from 148 to 290, at a rate of 25% per year, and by 2003, an estimated 1,400 muskoxen were in Quebec. Additionally, 112 adults and 25 calves were counted in the nearby Diana Island in 2005, having arrived there by their own means from the mainland. Vagrant adults are sometimes spotted in Labrador , though no herds have been observed in
15162-525: The rest were dispersed throughout the world, in countries such as Argentina and Russia. Mink have been farmed for fur in the United States for 130 years, though domestic demand for fur started to decline rapidly by the late 1980s. In 2010, the U.S. ranked fifth in production behind Denmark , China, the Netherlands, and Poland. Mink typically breed in March and give birth to their litters in May. Farmers vaccinate
15295-511: The rutting season and lead their groups, the females take charge during gestation. Pregnant females are aggressive and decide what distance the herd travels in a day and where they will bed for the night. The herds move more often when cows are lactating, to let them get enough food to nurse their offspring. Cows have an eight- to nine-month gestation period, with calving occurring from April to June. Cows do not calve every year. When winters are severe, cows will not go into estrus and thus not calve
15428-470: The sale is still quasi-legal. In most countries, novelty items made from farmed cat and dog fur is available in the form of animal toys or as trim on garments like boots, jackets and handbags. The European Union banned imports in 2009. The main breed in the rabbit fur farming industry is the Rex (Castor Rex and Chinchilla Rex). Breeding animals are kept for up to three years, and usually give birth twice
15561-567: The same quantity of food on all cages and close to an ad libitum amount so that 50% of all cages have feed left over the next day. In addition to fur quality and production traits, breeder selection should concentrate on health and temperament (21) to improve the welfare of the herd. Breeding records are kept for each individual mink, this includes information on the dates of mating, genetics involving family lineage, reproductive success, health status, and fur characteristics. In preparation for whelping , comfortable conditions are prepared for
15694-624: The secretion. The odor of dominant rutting males is described as "strong" and "rank". It derives from the preputial gland and is distributed over the fur of the abdomen via urine. Analysis of extract of washes of the prepuce revealed the presence of benzoic acid and p -cresol , along with a series of straight-chain saturated hydrocarbons from C 22 H 46 to C 32 H 66 (with C 24 H 50 being most abundant). Muskoxen are not known to be aggressive. Fatal attacks are extremely rare, but humans who have come close and behaved aggressively have occasionally been attacked. On 22 July 1964,
15827-715: The severity of cuts or scratches to the skin. Many mammals, such as the domestic dog and cat, have a pilomotor reflex that raises their guard hairs as part of a threat display when agitated. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals; however, several species or breeds have considerably reduced amounts of fur. These are often called "naked" or "hairless". Some mammals naturally have reduced amounts of fur. Some semiaquatic or aquatic mammals such as cetaceans , pinnipeds and hippopotamuses have evolved hairlessness, presumably to reduce resistance through water. The naked mole-rat has evolved hairlessness, perhaps as an adaptation to their subterranean lifestyle. Two of
15960-410: The skin dry. Mammalian coats are colored for a variety of reasons, the major selective pressures including camouflage , sexual selection , communication, and physiological processes such as temperature regulation. Camouflage is a powerful influence in many mammals, as it helps to conceal individuals from predators or prey. Aposematism , warning off possible predators, is the most likely explanation of
16093-421: The spread of a mutated strain of COVID-19, of which at least five cases were found. On 11 November, the Netherlands again moved the phase-out forward, now putting 1 January 2021 as the target date to limit the risk of mutation. Kopenhagen Fur (accounting for 40% of mink production worldwide) announced mid-November it would gradually cease operations in 2–3 years because the circumstances had critically undermined
16226-410: The subject being referred to exhibits a dense coat of fine, soft "hairs". If layered, rather than grown as a single coat , it may consist of short down hairs, long guard hairs , and in some cases, medium awn hairs . Mammals with reduced amounts of fur are often called "naked", as with the naked mole-rat , or "hairless", as with hairless dogs . An animal with commercially valuable fur is known within
16359-463: The takin and muskox were once considered possibly closely related, the takin lacks common ovibovine features, such as the muskox's specialized horn morphology, and genetic analysis shows that their lineages actually separated early in caprine evolution. Instead, the muskox's closest living relatives appear to be the gorals of the genus Naemorhedus , nowadays common in many countries of central and east Asia. The vague similarity between takin and muskox
16492-478: The temperate forests for the developing grasslands of Central Asia during the Pliocene , expanding into Siberia and the rest of northern Eurasia . Later migration waves of Asian ungulates that included high-horned muskoxen reached Europe and North America during the first half of the Pleistocene . The first well known muskox, the "shrub-ox" Euceratherium , crossed to North America over an early version of
16625-604: The time Simon Coveney of Fine Gael after the party formed a new government following the 2011 election. A renewed campaign and efforts to push the Irish government or current Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to re-implement a phase-out ban took place from 2018 to 2019. Following the introduction of the Solidarity party's 'Prohibition of Fur Farming Bill 2018', the government gave in to political and public pressure and agreed conclusively through Minister Creed to implement
16758-588: The time united to Siberia and isolated periodically from the rest of North America by the union of the Laurentide and Cordilleran Ice Sheets during colder periods) between 250,000 and 150,000 years ago. After migrating south during one of the warmer periods of the Illinoian glaciation , non-Alaskan American muskoxen would be isolated from the rest in the colder periods. The muskox was already present in its current stronghold of Banks Island 34,000 years ago, but
16891-458: The welfare of each animal and allows them to live and function comfortably within their environment. Mink are carefully evaluated in November or early December in order to physically assess their coat color, characteristics, and quality. Fur quality, along with skin size are two of the most important traits that are under intense selection in most mink breeding programs. Each mink will be given
17024-508: The west coast, and instead kept them confined to the northeastern fringes of the island. In modern times, muskoxen were restricted to the Arctic areas of Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. The Alaskan population was wiped out in the late 19th or early 20th century. Their depletion has been attributed to excessive hunting, but an adverse change in climate may have contributed. However, muskoxen have since been reintroduced to Alaska. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service introduced
17157-673: The world's largest importer of fur pelts and the largest exporter of finished fur products. Fur farming has been banned in the United Kingdom (since 2000), Austria (since 2005), Slovenia (effective 2015), Croatia (effective 2017), Luxembourg (effective 2018), the Czech Republic (effective 2019), the Netherlands (effective 2021), Republic of Ireland (effective 2022), Italy (effective June 2022), Malta (effective 2022), Belgium (effective across
17290-543: The young kits for botulism, distemper, enteritis, and, if needed, pneumonia. They are slaughtered in November and December. Methods for euthanizing animals on fur farms, as on all farms, are detailed in the American Veterinary Medical Association's Report on Euthanasia which is used as a guideline for state departments of agriculture which have jurisdiction over all farms raising domesticated livestock, including mink. The white mink ,
17423-467: Was not planning any culling as of 9 November 2020, but animal rights group Djurens Rätt was advocating for one in order to minimise the risk of a mutation that could compromise a COVID-19 vaccine. After a long campaign of daily protests, an act of parliament was introduced to ban the farming of animals for their fur. Fur farmers were given compensation in England and Wales in 2000. At second reading ,
17556-745: Was present in Europe and the Mediterranean 1.5 million years ago, colonized Alaska and the Yukon one million years ago and disappeared half a million years ago. Praeovibos was a highly adaptable animal apparently associated with cold tundra ( reindeer ) and temperate woodland ( red deer ) faunas alike. During the Mindel glaciation 500,000 years ago, Praeovibos was present in the Kolyma river area in eastern Siberia in association with many Ice Age megafauna that would later coexist with Ovibos , in
17689-521: Was that the initiative was taken in the Parliament for public voting. In Finland in August 2016, there were about 950 active fur farms. The breeding of fur-animals has had a long tradition in Finland, having been professionally conducted since the 1920s. Up to 90% of the fur-farming community is situated in the rural areas of Ostrobothnia and employs four to six thousand people. Today, fur farming
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