Rabbit fur: Horror behind luxury

30 Second Summary

Rabbit fur is prevalent in the fashion industry, but its procurement is far from innocent. Historically, animal pelts were used out of necessity for warmth and protection. Today, rabbit fur is favored for its affordability and softness, often used in fashion accessories. The fur industry primarily sources from factory farms, especially in China, where conditions are brutal. Rabbits endure painful fur plucking, often while conscious, and live in cramped, unsanitary cages, leading to severe physical and psychological stress. Many fashion brands have pledged to stop using rabbit fur, but the practice persists, exploiting animals for vanity. Alternatives like hemp, bamboo, and recycled polyester offer cruelty-free options. To end this exploitation, consumers are urged to check labels and boycott brands using animal fur.

Rabbit fur is commonplace in the fashion industry, appearing in high-end fashion to high street retailers. But what’s the process used to obtain rabbit fur, and is it as innocent as we’ve been led to believe? 

Image Source: PETA

Why do we wear real fur?

Long ago, before the concepts of factory farming or fashion entered the minds of humankind, animals would be hunted and trapped for food. Cautious not to waste any part of the animal, their pelts would be used to provide warm, durable, and protective clothing against harsh weather conditions. But as civilisation grew, the world became more connected. Exotic and foreign furs became a symbol of affluence, and soon enough, fur trading became a huge international business enterprise. Of course, it was the animals to whom the fur belonged who would suffer as a result of humankind’s desire and prosperity.

Why rabbits?

Rabbit fur is used due to its affordability, softness, and being a lightweight fashion accessory. It is commonly used as a trim on coats and hats, but is also used in many other fashion items, including: gloves, scarves, jumpers, slippers, hair accessories, keychains, purses, and many more. It is far more common than you may think. Many customers purchase items containing rabbit fur without even knowing that they’ve done so.

How is rabbit fur obtained?

There are commonly four main types of rabbit fur: 

• Normal

• Rex

• Satin

• Wooly

Each type is formed differently and is determined by the breed of rabbit. Angora rabbits, for example, produce woolly fur, which is one of the more popular types of rabbit fur used in fashion. 90% of the world’s Angora fur comes from factory farms in China, with an estimated 50 million rabbits bred directly into this industry every year. This isn’t to say factory farms don’t exist elsewhere in the world. They are still common in countries such as Denmark, Spain, Italy, and France, but in recent years these farms are closing down or relocating as businesses turn to China, where fur is cheaper to produce due to the use of cheap labour. Investigations into both Chinese and European factory farms by CAFT, PETA and One Voice, have seen rabbits roughly handled, stretched out and twisted into unnatural positions, and their fur being ripped out, either by hand or with scissors and machinery.

Image Source: PETA

Rabbits’ skin is exceptionally soft, so this process is not only inconceivably painful, but their flesh is easily bruised and sliced open. The rabbits natural instinct to escape is thwarted by workers, tying them to tables, standing on their ears, or, in some cases, hanging them from the ceiling by rope. Rabbits will have their entire bodies plucked, leaving only the fur on their head. This process usually happens while they are conscious, and they are kept alive so their fur can be regrown. Rabbits face being plucked every three months for a period of two to three years before being slaughtered for meat. For Angora rabbits, males tend to yield less fur than females and are considered less profitable, so are routinely killed shortly after birth.

“High-welfare” conditions

Image Source: Veganuary

Rabbit factory farms in Europe are considered “high-welfare” compared to those in China. In these conditions, rabbits are kept in bare wire mesh cages. They are either separated to stop them fighting and damaging their pelts, or crammed together with no space to move.

Rabbits are naturally social individuals who enjoy running, digging and hopping. In fact, hopping is essential in the development of rabbits, and being prevented from doing so can lead to bone disorders and deformations. 

Socially isolated rabbits show signs of severe stress, exhibiting behaviours commonly seen in all caged animals, such as gnawing on bars, self-mutilation, and lameness. Rabbits sharing cages are so tightly packed together that frustration and fear cause them to bite one another, producing open sores and wounds prone to infection. 

One of the biggest issues rabbits face in these cages is spending their entire lives standing on wire mesh. This causes immense damage to their soft paws and forms harsh sores, which often lead to further infections and abscesses.

Almost every farm witnessed in undercover investigations found rabbits kept in these types of cages. A prominent issue is the buildup of waste that forms underneath the cages. Rabbits are naturally clean creatures, and being covered in their own and each other’s excrement is not only humiliating but leads to bacteria buildup, which create more infections, viruses, and diseases. Not only do the rabbits have to breathe in this putrid stench every day, but the toxicity of the waste gets into their eyes and causes further painful infections.

Image Source: PETA

Mortality rates in European factory farms sit at around 10-15%, with a farm in Spain accounting for up to 25% of their rabbits dying in cages. This is the highest mortality rate documented in any level of commercial animal farming, and is actively accounted for by these farms when considering the profit they can make. This means they knowingly expect this number of animals to die.

Farms in China are even worse, with auditing levels here even less concerned about animal welfare than those in Europe. Investigations show filthy, barren cages in extreme temperatures. Many rabbits were found breathing rapidly and salivating excessively due to the heat, which again resulted in painful skin conditions. Veterinary care is almost non-existent, and many of the individuals were seen slowly dying from starvation, dehydration, disease, and infection. 

What happens when rabbits are deemed “no longer profitable”?

The average lifespan of a rabbit can vary depending on the breed, but many can live between 7 and 12 years. In the fur industry, rabbits will be slaughtered after 2 or 3 years for meat. The most common method used is to stun the rabbits, often ineffectively, before hanging them upside down by their legs and slitting their throats until they bleed out. A CAFT investigator at one site noted how rabbits on the slaughter line would emit loud, high-pitched squeals. It is uncommon for rabbits to vocalise in this way, only doing so under extreme conditions of stress. This vocalisation not only tells us the animals are aware of what is happening to them but shows they are alive when their throats are slit.

Why are fashion brands still using rabbit fur?

Thanks to these investigations by PETA, CAFT, and One Voice, a huge pool of fashion brands have committed to stop using rabbit fur, including:

• Fraser Group

• Calvin Klein

• HUGO BOSS 

• Valentino

• Selfridges

• Gucci

• Saint Laurent 

However, animal fur and wool is still commonly used for fashion, with minks, foxes, chinchillas, raccoons, bears, alpacas, goats, and many others needlessly kept in similar conditions and slaughtered every day for nothing more than the vanity and glamour of fashion. 

Fur is not for us. It is for the animals. We can source animal-free alternatives quite easily by using a range of natural or synthetic materials, such as:

• Hemp

• Cotton 

• Bamboo 

• Soya-bean fibre 

• Tencel 

• Banana wool

• Recycled polyester 

Commit your pledge to end the fur industry today by checking the labels on your clothing and boycotting brands that continue to exploit animals in this inhumane and cruel industry.

If you want to learn more about the use of animals for profit, click here.

Additional resources:

• Angora: Torture for Rabbits - PETA UK

• Vegan Fashion: Your Guide to the Basics - PETA UK

• CAFT Rabbit Fur Report - CAFT

• The Fur Trade - Humane Society International

• The Fur Industry: Animals Used for Their Skins - PETA

• Fur Farming - Fur Free Alliance

• Angora Farm Audits Reveal Extreme Suffering for Rabbits - PETA

• History of Fur in Fashion - Fondazione ITS

• Some of the 425+ Brands That Have Banned Angora Wool - PETA

• Fur - Encyclopaedia Britannica

• Rabbit Fur is the Go-To For Many Reasons - Morris Kaye & Sons Furs

• Different Types of Rabbit Fur - Martin Redbeck

• Farmed Rabbits - Veganuary

Written by Lee

Lee went vegan after noticing his cat companion had a distinct character, and the dawning realisation that this means all animals must have unique and individual personalities. His passion to protect the creatures of this earth led to him becoming involved with street activism, online advocacy, and utilising his writing skills to educate others on the importance of veganism and the power of animal advocacy. Lee joined the WTF Media Team in 2024 as an SEO Content Writer, sharing blogs, newsletters, and all forms of written content to demonstrate what is happening to the animals and what we can do to save them.

@logicleevegan

You may also like