In the late 1980s, Truth About Fur senior researcher Alan Herscovici (second from left) spent time in a Louisiana bayou with Cajun muskrat trappers. Alan was raised in a fur family. His grandfather came to Canada in 1913 as a young fur artisan, having learned the craft from his own father in Paris. Alan’s father was a respected Canadian fur manufacturer and sales agent. After receiving his BA from McGill University and an MA from the University of Sussex, Alan worked as a writer, freelance journalist and communications consultant. Alan’s published work includes the award-winning Second Nature: The Animal-Rights Controversy (CBC, 1985; General Publishing, 1991), the first book to present a balanced critique of the animal-rights philosophy from an environmental and social justice perspective. From 1997 to 2016, he served as Executive Vice-President of the Fur Council of Canada where he initiated pioneering programs to increase understanding and appreciation of the fur trade including, notably, www.Furisgreen.com. This photo is featured in Alan's blog post Adventures of a pro-fur warrior, September 22, 2017.

Ted Parkinson is a mink farmer in Ontario and member of the Canada Mink Breeders Association. The farm is a family operation, with Ted’s father starting when he was 15 years old. Ted has now been raising mink for over 30 years, and has been joined by his daughter and son in law. “I still enjoy it to this day, after 30 years,” says Ted. One of the questions Ted commonly hears is how mink are euthanized, and so he explains. “We use carbon monoxide gas. We bring a container down the row with the gas in the container. We put the mink in. It’s an odorless gas so they won’t even realize what’s happening. It’s stress-free, it’s quick, and it’s a system that works well for us. It’s very easy on the mink and on the operators.” Visiting Ted’s farm is a student veterinarian from the University of Guelph studying animal behavior and welfare, with a focus on stereotypical behavior. One of the things she is researching is the effect of adding a simple wire “getaway box” to pens used by nursing mothers. The boxes allow the nursing mothers to get away from their demanding kits for a while to rest. This is expected to reduce the incidence of mastitis in mothers, and hasten the transition of the kits to solid food, resulting in healthier and larger mothers and kits. As for the standard of care received by the mink, our student says, “Compared to other farmed animals, mink have it pretty much the best.”

This video has been produced by the Fédération des Trappeurs Gestionnaires du Québec, and provides an overview of modern trapping, including the development of modern traps, how trapping is regulated, and the importance of training courses for trappers. A transcript follows: For centuries, trapping has allowed us to promote the natural beauty and the incomparable qualities of wild fur. Over the years, techniques have evolved greatly. Today, traps used in Canada are certified to meet the International Humane Trapping Standards. Intensive research involving veterinarians has led to the development of trap types that, depending on the situation, cause the least injury possible, or ensure death within a few seconds for the animals concerned. Trapping is a highly regulated activity, based on the sustainable and responsible use of an abundant and renewable resource. Regulated trapping seasons and the careful monitoring of fur harvests ensure the sustainable use of wildlife while providing quality furs. To receive their trapping permits trappers must complete courses to learn to use the most modern methods while respecting wildlife and the conservation of natural habitats. Naturally, trappers value the fur of animals they capture, but the meat and other parts are also used. Trapping even facilitates the reintroduction of animals that were previously depleted, and also helps to protect endangered species such as woodland caribou, by controlling predators including bears, coyotes and wolves. The Fédération des Trappeurs Gestionnaires du Québec is proud to promote the benefits of trapping, and the use of fur, a high-quality, renewable resource.

One of my greatest pleasure in life has always been drawing or painting. My passion for art doesn’t  however stop there. During my career, I have created collections for well known brands and completed an internship in 2002, sponsored by the Fur Council of Canada at Saga Furs in Denmark. Working behind the scenes has always been part of my job as the workshop director and designer.  But for me, being able to express my creativity has always been the most important thing and this is what I have been doing at Natural Furs for the past years. I also have the privilege to work with private clients as well as local and international witch I love! – Robert Beaupré

I did not grow up in a trapping family, and came to it with very little knowledge and a lot of naivety. I didn't know a martin from a mink, and still have trouble identifying fur. My first taste of the world of trapping happened when I met my husband to be, a trapper. I feel a certain sense of honor to be counted among those who are preserving this "heritage of the bush" for future generations. Alberta trappers are successful stewards of the land and demonstrate a commitment to preserving this way of life, which has been practiced since before the birth of this great nation, we call Canada.  In learning to dry scrape rawhide, I found a calming rhythm while I work, and enjoy many aspects of assisting in utilizing all parts of the animals that are taken. There is a happiness and contentment comes with interacting with our environment, up close and personal. Canada's trappers have been living this life for many years and will continue to do so for years to come. - Deborah Hinter, Alberta.

Up until 1900, Charles Dalton and Robert Oulton were the only individuals breeding foxes in the West Prince area of Prince Edward Island, Canada. In 1900, Dalton sold a pair of breeders to Robert Tuplin and Captain James Gordon and another to B.I. and Silas Raynor. These six men formed the "Big Six Combine" and made a pact not to sell outside the circle. Robert Tuplin soon sold a pair to his nephew, Frank. Frank, unlike the "Big Six Combine" could sell to anyone. Fox farming soon spread throughout the Island with many men, including J.P. Hooper from Charlottetown, shown here, becoming involved in the industry. Photo credit: Public Archives and Record Office of Prince Edward Island, Fox Farming in Prince Edward Islands, Acc. 3466/HF 76.57.5

This video has been produced by the Fédération des Trappeurs Gestionnaires du Québec, and explains the vital roles modern trappers play in managing wildlife. These roles include controlling the spread of diseases such as rabies, minimising damage caused by over-populated species such as beavers, and removing animals that directly threaten humans, such as bears. A transcript follows: Trapping as practiced today ensures sound management of animal populations. The raccoon rabies control program is the perfect example of the close collaboration with the government to protect the public against epidemics such as rabies in raccoons. Since 2006, the work done has eliminated raccoon rabies in Quebec. The expertise of trappers is crucial to carry out such operations and to ensure public health and safety. Today, trappers are true professionals, and perform their work while respecting wildlife and habitats. They are very familiar with the situation in the field, and contribute to sound management of animal populations. With food sources more abundant than ever, and without sufficient predators, the populations of many species increase rapidly. It is estimated that there are one million beavers in Quebec, much more than there were during the exploration and colonisation of North America. Management through trapping allows the control of beaver populations while avoiding significant costs for society. A professional trapper is also essential for the management of animals potentially dangerous to humans. The Fédération des Trappeurs Gestionnaires du Québec is proud to promote the benefits of trapping, and the use of fur, a high-quality, renewable resource.

When the fox industry began in Prince Edward Island, Canada, foxes were kept in communal enclosures. When in these enclosures, foxes tended to kill their pups and fight amongst themselves. Individual pens were soon adopted by breeders. The wire used in making the pens was laid on the ground so foxes could not escape. In 1913, 277 Island fox farms were listed. There was a slight decrease to 252 farms during the war years but the industry rebounded and by 1923, there were 448 farms on Prince Edward Island: 291 in Prince County, 129 in Queens County and 28 in Kings County. Photo Credit: Public Archives and Record Office of Prince Edward Island, Fox Farming in Prince Edward Islands, Acc. 3466/HF 77.147.4

Serge Larivière teaches Vivianne Lachance the basics of trapping muskrats along an agricultural drainage ditch in rural Quebec. Trapping muskrats is a great way to make pocket money for youngsters while spending time outdoors learning about nature and exercising at the same time! - 15 April 2006 in St-Agapit, Quebec Serge is a wildlife biologist, trapper, and director general of the Cree Hunters & Trappers Income Security Board. See his profile here.

“I love what I do.  It’s absolutely the last thing I thought I would be doing today, but I really enjoy it,” says Catherine Moores. Catherine was once an animal activist, until she found herself working closely with farmers through her studies, and with sealers and local sealskin crafts people through summer employment. Her perspective began to change from anti-animal use, to responsible and humane animal use. Today (April 2016) Catherine manages a 10,000 female breeder mink farm in the small community of Cox’s Cove, and is president/spokesperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador Fur Breeders Association. Learn more about the Newfoundland and Labrador Fur Breeders Association at furfarming.ca.

Catherine Moores runs New Mink Inc. mink farm in Nova Scotia with 10,000 breeders. As a girl, Catherine opposed all animal uses except for cats and dogs as pets, but her perspective changed after she began studying to become a vet at Nova Scotia Agricultural College. “I started working more with farmers, visiting farms, and actually seeing their relationship with the animals,” she recalls. “I began to realize that these people [are] working with the animals because they have an appreciation for the animals and respect for the animals, and they actually enjoy working with the animals, because if they didn’t, I don’t think that they would do it. So when I was offered this job, I decided to take it.” Catherine explains the importance of diet for farmed mink. “The majority of our feed ingredients are sourced through local fish plants. Now we feed probably between 60 and 70% fish by-products, and this is providing employment to the local fish processors. And the diet changes through every year depending on the cycle that the mink is going through at the time. We are constantly balancing the diets. We send a feed sample away every week to make sure that our fat and protein levels are exactly where we want them.” In addition to a high-quality diet, “I think that we provide the mink with a very good quality of life. We provide protection from the elements. We provide them with their own comfort zones, their own territories. … We provide them with fresh bedding, warm nest boxes. We do health checks three times a week. We walk through the barns and physically look at all the animals and treat any sick ones accordingly.” “People always comment when they walk on our farm how content the mink seem,” says Catherine. “So I think we have provided them a good-quality life. I love my job, I do. It is the very last thing that I thought I would be doing today, but I really do love it.”

Bob Zimbal is a mink farmer from Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Zimbal Minkery has raised mink for 60 years. “What I like about mink farming is the fact that you’re outside working with the animal,” says Bob. “I think any type of farming you do, you have to have some kind of love of animals to do that because, you know, in the end that’s what we do every day." To opponents of fur, Bob has this to say. “Everybody has the right to choose not to eat meat, not to wear fur, not to use leather. They have the right to their opinion, but also they should respect our right to our opinion, and if we choose to wear fur, that’s our choice.” The Zimbal Minkery is keen to spread a positive image of mink farming, and gladly opens its doors to visitors. “We do quite a bit of tourism. We’ll probably in a year get 500 people through our farm at various times, and a lot of times the comment we’ll get is, ‘Oh, you’re almost like a recycler. You’re using all the by-products that aren’t for human consumption, and you’re recycling this and making it into a beautiful mink skin which can be used for a garment’.” “What I always like when people come to our farm and look, I like to compare it to other types of agriculture. If you’re a dairy farmer or an egg producer, you become an expert at your field, and we as mink farmers, we’ve become experts in the fields of the nutrition and the management of the animals. I don’t care if you’re raising mink, you’re raising chickens or cows, for the farmer raising them, it’s in his best interest to give those animals the best care, the best food, the best veterinarian care, because in the end the better you care for your animals, the better they will produce for you.”