Rhode Island: Urge the Senate to Protect Animals Killed for Their Fur

On fur farms, animals like foxes and minks are confined to tiny wire cages for virtually their entire lives. Unable to engage in most of their natural behaviors, these animals routinely resort to self-mutilation, obsessive pacing, and infanticide. Undercover investigations on fur farms have uncovered egregious cruelty — including animals being skinned alive.

In Rhode Island a bill to ban the sale of new fur products, including clothing and fashion accessories, (HB 5188 A) has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate. Please help shut down the cruel fur industry by using the form below to send an email to the Senate President.

Editing the email to use your own words will help make your letter stand out. Consider borrowing from these bullet points:

• HB 5188 A would ban the sale of new fur clothing and fashion accessories, without impact the sale of used or second-hand fur products or fur products used in the practice of a religion. California passed a similar law in 2019.
• The vast majority of fur items come from animals who are raised on fur farms in factory-like conditions. Animals, including foxes, minks, and rabbits, are typically crammed into tiny wire cages and unable to engage in most of their natural behaviors. They frequently resort to self-mutilation, obsessive pacing, and infanticide.
• To maintain the integrity of their skin and fur, animals are usually killed via suffocation, electrocution, gassing, or poisoning. Sometimes, they are bludgeoned in the head or face repeatedly. Animals are sometimes skinned alive while still conscious.
• Whenever animals are intensively confined without regard for their health or welfare, public health is endangered. Fur farms often confine thousands of animals to small barns or open-air cage systems. Sanitation is typically poor, and veterinary care is almost non-existent. As a result, these fur factory farms are breeding grounds for pathogens that can result in zoonotic diseases. Mink fur farms in the U.S. and around the globe have become hot spots for COVID-19. Minks are the only animal known to both catch the virus from people and transmit it to them.