Fur flies over pelt-ban plan
The fur is flying as the City Council debates outlawing the sale of mink, fox, chinchilla, beaver and other animal pelts.
Animal-rights advocates, industry reps and lawmakers clashed Wednesday at City Hall when the Council held an emotional hearing on a proposed fur sales.
At one point Council Speaker Corey Johnson described in graphic detail how foxes are euthanized using anal electrocution before he pelted a fur industry spokesman with questions about the best way to kill animals.
“That doesn’t make you uncomfortable, electrocuting animals?” Johnson asked.
Mark Oaten, head of the International Fur Federation, had said scientists believe the most “humane” way to euthanize foxes is electrocution. Minks are “put into a box where they’re gassed,” Oaten said. Coyotes are caught and killed with traps.
Johnson’s legislation would outlaw the sale of fur apparel except pelts made from used clothing and those worn for religious custom. Violators would be fined, and the fur – as well as any revenue from its sale – would be confiscated.
The fur industry says a ban could cost 1,100 jobs and $3.3 billion in tax revenue for the city over the next decade.
“We’re here to try to save our industry from the attack that it’s under right now,” said Steve Likas, 49, a designer who’s worked in the industry for 20 years.
Black ministers protested at City Hall last week, saying fur has historical significance to African-Americans. Many Hasidic men wear fur hats on the Sabbath, though Johnson stressed the bill includes a religious exemption.
Before the hearing, hundreds of ban backers and protesters traded chants outside City Hall. “Put people first,” industry supporters shouted. Counterprotesters responded: “How many animals have to die?”
“Consumer demand for fur has plummeted,” said fashion consultant Tim Gunn in testimony before the Council. Hecited a 2018 study that found 14 storefronts sold fur in the Garment District, compared to 450 in 1977.
Not to be outdone in the celeb-advocate department, Safaree Samuels, a rapper from “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” showed up in a lynx coat for the occasion.
Mayor de Blasio has said he supports banning fur sales, but that he understands the industry’s concerns about job loss.