EBay the giant clearing house for animal cruelty We all know eBay, an American multi-national with its headquarters in California. EBay has been going for almost twenty years now, and it has made its founder Pierre Omidyar very rich indeed. People can, and do, sell all kinds of thing on eBay, including things that are alive, and things that are no longer alive. EBay’s policy on living things restricts the sales to live bait for fishing, crabs and lobsters, that are live when sold but intended for human consumption, Aquarium or pond fish (up to 5cm long), snails, tadpoles or similar creatures. Aquarium or pond fish longer than 5cm may be listed with the 'Collection in person' option. Hatching eggs for some animals are permitted provided the seller offers domestic-only next-day delivery within the UK and Ireland. However, hatching eggs from endangered species, migratory or wild birds, snakes, or turtles aren't allowed. EBay isn’t bothered about you selling dead things, as long as those dead things aren’t on eBay’s naughty list. (Oh, and you can’t sell an animal’s organs like its gall bladder. Nor can you sell animal faeces) The exception to the organ rule is the animal’s skin. You can sell an animal’s fur bearing skin and it seems EBay isn’t too fussy as to the history of the fur, as long as it’s not from cats and dogs or an endangered species. I would doubt that anyone in the modern world is unaware these days about the suffering of animals used for fur fashion. Indeed even Mr Omidya, in his un-contactable world of his own somewhere, must be aware of the hundreds of respected animal organisations against the cruel fur trade. He can’t fail to miss the petitions with thousands of signatures asking him to do the right thing and ban fur sales on eBay. And yet he appears to be unmoved. Whole countries have banned fur farms or have made it impossible for a trade in farming fur to succeed. Most of the civilised world has banned trapping animals for their skins too. Nearly all department stores in the UK have banned fur, with the notable exception of Harrods, who seem to prefer the money over the ethics. Mr O could hardly have failed to notice these monumental achievements for decency, and yet tens of thousands of real fur items are still offered for sale each day on eBay sites. Many items are made from animals that suffered and died years ago, (vintage fur) but that excuses nothing. A quick search brings up several adverts for second hand Persian lamb (Astrakhan). These vile coats are made from the skin of Karakul lambs, sometimes those babies are taken from their mother’s wombs, certainly all no older than 3 or 4 days when they are slaughtered for fashion. Chinese fur is plentiful on eBay, with most of the sellers posting directly from China. Online eBay shops, thriving businesses making money from animal misery, and all channelled through Ebay’s willing ports. Selling fur items made from cats and dogs is illegal in the UK, yet eBay doesn’t bother to check. Indeed how could they. China and other countries in the Far East kill many thousands of dogs and cats each year. Some are eaten some are made into fur trim and jackets. Many are made into ‘fun furs’ offering garish colours and funky styles. Fun fur is often dyed to appeal to the young market, and the process of dying can alter the fur so that even at laboratory level, in most cases it is difficult to be certain that the origin of the animal is not one of man’s best friends. And even if the fur is not from cats or dogs, the people on eBay who are selling fur, be it mink, chinchilla or raccoon dog are colluding in animal torture and suffering. The descriptions from Care for the Wild International in conjunction with Swiss Animal Protection and East International makes harrowing reading, but perhaps Mr Omidya needs to read descriptions like these. “undercover film obtained by investigators in late 2004 and early 2005 graphically revealed for the first time how millions of animals in typical Chinese fur farms are confined in rows of tiny, often filthy, wire cages. Housing conditions of this kind result in high cub mortality, self-mutilation and pathological behaviours. The foxes and raccoon dogs are now transported under horrendous conditions to wholesale markets where they are slaughtered, skinned, sold and bought by clothing and processing companies. In shocking sequences, animals were filmed being lifted from their cages using a 'capture pole' with a noose at the end. Helpless and wide-eyed, foxes and raccoon dogs are suspended from their necks for considerable periods of time before workers grab them by their hind legs and, using a wooden or metal club, repeatedly strike them on the head. Others are swung hard against the ground by their hind legs in an attempt to stun or immobilize them, while their cage mates, who are next in line, look on. Many are seen convulsing and trembling, unable to move away, on the ground, no doubt suffering from bone fractures, ruptured organs and internal bleeding. Then, in perhaps the most shocking scenes of all, workers were filmed as they skin the animals - many still alive - by plunging a knife into the rear of their belly whilst the animal lies on its back or is hung by its legs from a hook. Beginning with the hind legs, workers then wrench the animal's skin from its body, until it peels off over the head. Some workers first hacked off the animal’s paws to facilitate subsequent skinning.” EBay appears to be unreachable. There are no telephone numbers or addresses (other than the generic eBay cover) that I can find. No board member or figure of authority who could be approached on a one to one level to discuss the appalling transactions in fur that take place on eBay sites worldwide. EBay banned ivory because of the clamour made by the rest of the world. How many more innocent animals must suffer in the name of vanity before eBay will do the humane and decent thing and ban ALL fur on ALL eBay sites across the globe? Read: The dogs dying for your fake UGG boots Petition Fur on eBay blog
3 Comments
Patricia Betty
7/12/2014 02:58:55 am
Just did a quick search for ebay fur and there seems to be lots of it. One of the first things I found was this nasty site http://kaufmanfurs.com/BLOGS/designer-furs-mink-coats-fur-coats/furs-sold-on-ebay-fur-capes-knit-mink-furs-from-china/
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Eileen
7/12/2014 03:09:18 am
THanks Patricia - people should boycott eBay and hit them where it hurts - in the wallett. How can they justify such sales? Makes you despair of some people
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Julia
7/12/2014 12:12:38 pm
I have never been a big fan of eBay anyway. It is hard for average people to sell regular things there while these dodos sell these horrible things.
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