Activists Cheer Proposed Animal Fur Ban

A street vendor peddles fur on the streets of Beijing, China Tuesday Nov. 21, 2006. The European Union proposed a ban Monday on the sale and import of dog and cat fur in all 25 member nations, saying it has been found in some clothing, toys and other items on sale in Europe. Animal rights activists say Chinese cat and dog fur is mainly used for lining gloves, as trim on boots, coats and other clothing or to cover animal figurines. Sometimes, traders say, it is dyed and passed off as other types of more expensive fur. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel) (Elizabeth Dalziel - AP)

One Chinese trader said, however, that most exporters would prefer to use rabbit fur because it's cheaper.

"Rabbit is the cheapest fur in China," said Liu Ning, a trader with Furshion, a fur import-export business based in Hebei province. "If they are using cat or dog instead of rabbit, it doesn't make sense economically."

Liu said that rabbit skins in China cost $1 to $4, while cat pelts sell for $2 and dog pelts for $6.

More often, cat or dog fur is dyed and passed off as other types of more expensive fur, said Liu, who said his company doesn't export cat or dog fur.

Kyprianou said the fur trade's secretive nature makes it hard to estimate how much dog and cat fur finds its way onto the market, or pinpoint its source.

A woman who answered the phone at the Chinese Association of Fur Professionals refused to give figures for the amount of fur China exports every year and said the association had no comment on the proposed ban. The woman, who would only give her surname Liu, said cat and dog fur exports are "just a small part" of China's total fur exports.

Yang Jianzhong, a sales manager with the Liushi Leather Plant in Hebei province said his company exported dog and rabbit fur _ but only to South Korea, so the proposed EU ban wouldn't affect their business. He refused to say how much fur they exported every year.

Zhang said concerns about animal welfare are growing in China as more people own pets, but the country still lacks basic legal protections for animals.

She said activists were trying to use the 2008 Olympics as leverage to pressure the government into enacting an anti-cruelty law and animal rights protection legislation, arguing that failing to do so would sully China's image during the games.

Poverty and isolation are the main reasons animals in China are not treated as well as they are in some other countries, she said.

"We don't have a tradition to treat animals as equal living creatures," Zhang said. "In rural areas, many people don't know animal rights. ... Animals are just seen as labor, a family-owned property they can use any way they want. They think the animals' existence is just for making money."

Liu, the trader, said ending China's cat and dog fur trade will mainly depend on measures like the proposed EU ban, which will curb overseas demand.

"If the European Union and Americans don't like cat and dog fur and don't use them, then China's businessmen won't produce them," he said. "But if they use them, there is a market and they will make them."