California is the first state in the U.S. to ban the sale of animal fur products. Does that mean the Kardashian’s will soon move? On a serious note, this was years in the making, and now that California has emerged as a trailblazer for animals, there is hope that other states will also emulate their actions. Following city-wide bans in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills over the weekend to fight animal cruelty in The Golden State, including AB44 outlawing the sale, manufacture, and donation of fur clothing and accessories. The bill (AB44) applies to clothe, handbags, shoes, slippers, hats, key chains, pompoms, etc. The bill doesn’t cover all animals though so there are some loopholes. The bill applies to “mink, sable, chinchilla, lynx, fox, rabbit, beaver, coyote and other luxury furs,” while exceptions have been made for deerskin, cowhide, goatskin, and sheepskin, and for the use of fur in religious and traditional cultural ceremonies. Other animal products such as leather, wool, down, silk, and cashmere are not affected. I guess it is only a matter of time that this will also be changed thanks to the persistent efforts of animal welfare advocates.
For a retailer, the initial offense will cost $500, then $1,000 for subsequent offences. One should note that wearing fur is not illegal in the state, it could be pre-owned or you could purchase it outside of California but there’s no denying that those sashaying in fur will be perceived as law-breakers. These bills have been passed in Los Angeles, Berkeley, and San Francisco but this is the first state-wide ban to pass which makes it a big deal. I don’t think anyone is whining at the loss of fur as luxury brands like Gucci, Versace, Armani, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Hugo Boss, Tom Ford, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, and Ralph Lauren have all already gone fur-free in recent years. Its a win for the animals and kudos to PETA and their efforts.
[Via:TreeHugger]
