Animal rights activists are celebrating in the Czech Republic after the Parliament approved a ban of fur farms that will take effect Jan 19.
The owners of the fur farms will receive compensation from the state and a poll suggests that more than 80 per cent of Czech citizens approve the move.
Animal rights activist Lucie Moravcová from the NGO Freedom for Animals said the move will save 20,000 animal lives.
We think that this industry does not belong in civilized society and we are very grateful to our legislators that they understood what was at stake and supported this bill. We consider this a historic success in animal protection in the Czech Republic and we are very happy that our country will join other European states which have already banned this cruel practice.”
We have to keep in mind that these animals are basically wild animals with their own specific needs. So for example the mink is a semi-aquatic animal that needs to swim and this is impossible to realize on a fur farm where the animals are bred in tiny wire cages. This causes enormous frustration and various psychological dysfunctions in these animals.”
Great Britain issued a ban in the year 2,000 and illegal fur farms did not appear. It is also important to realize that it is impossible to hide a fur farm with hundreds or thousands of animals. Firstly, you need a big space and secondly the animals smell, so it is really not possible to hide such a farm.”
