PETA Members Protest Springfield Furrier
Two demonstrate in front of Max Karpman Furs

By Jason Piscia, Reporter

A BROWN PAPER BAG ISN'T THE TYPICAL HEADWEAR that accompanies a full-length fur coat, but animal-rights supporters say that display outside a Springfield furrier Friday was a statement against animal cruelty, not a fashion statement.

Two members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spent the lunch hour quietly protesting the killing of animals for clothing as they stood on the corner of Fifth and Washington streets, near the entrance to Max Karpman Furs.

RaeLeann Smith, a PETA campaign coordinator from the group's home office in Norfolk, Va., handed out leaflets and held a sign reading "Only old bags wear furs. You'd better hide," while Masami Katori, a PETA intern also based in Virginia, sported the bag and fur.

"We're urging fur-wearers to hide their head in shame for supporting such atrocities," Smith said. "Every year, millions of animals are trapped, drowned and beaten to death in the wild and gassed, strangled and electrocuted on fur farms."

Smith and Katori have spent the past two weeks bringing PETA's anti-fur message to several Midwestern cities. They wrap up their tour today with a protest at a Peoria fur store.

The pair remained outside of Max Karpman Furs during their hourlong protest, approaching pedestrians and waving to passing vehicles. They did not attempt to contact store workers or go inside the store.

In fact, Max Karpman owner Maria Leka said she did not know a demonstration was being planned until a reporter informed her of it.

"It's everybody's right if they want to wear fur," she said. "We don't buy anything that is illegal or endangered.

"It's a shame that these people do this," Leka added, referring to protesters. "They should take another cause, a more worthy cause like hungry children or mistreated children or help for the elderly. That would be a more worthy cause to me."

PETA says animals on fur farms often spend their lives in small, dirty cages and are killed sometimes using such painful techniques as inserting electrically charged rods into the animals' orifices.

Teresa Platt, executive director of the California-based Fur Commission USA, said those claims are off-base. She said the farmers she represents throughout the country treat their animals humanely so they can ensure the quality of the fur.

She added that fur garments also are more environmentally friendly than their man-made counterparts.

"(Fur) will biodegrade as compared to a synthetic garment that will be with us for 600 or 700 years," Platt said. "You can re-cut it, restyle it and recycle it. It comes from an organic source."

Platt said PETA and similar groups tend to overlook these human benefits during other pro-animal demonstrations against eating meat or fishing.

"They're not looking at any of the benefits of our relationship with animals," she said. "They're basically saying that mankind shouldn't use them anymore and we should go to a vegetarian diet and synthetic materials."

See also:

A PeTA-esque Conversation FCUSA's Teresa Platt debates PeTA spokesmodel. FCUSA press release, Nov. 3, 1999.

In Their Own Words : People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals A round-up of unforgettable PeTA quotes.

For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.

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