Humane Society: More Oppose Wearing Fur

Americans are increasingly opposed to wearing fur, the Humane Society of the United States claimed Wednesday in a report that said fur sales and the numbers of fur trappers and fur farms are declining.

A fur industry spokeswoman called the report “outrageously false” and said fur sales are rebounding.

According to the report, the number of trapper’s licenses issued nationwide dropped from 213,000 in 1990 to 157,000 in 1994; the number of minks killed on fur farms dropped from 4.6 million in 1988 to 2.5 million in 1994; and the number of foxes killed in such facilities declined from 75,000 in 1988 to 25,000 in 1994.

The report also said sales dropped 9 percent in a year, from $1.2 billion in 1993 to $1.1 billion in 1994.

Although sales dropped 9 percent that year, Carol Wynne, executive director of the Fur Information Council of America’s Washington office, said they were up 10 percent in 1992 and 9 percent in 1993.