WEST HOLLYWOOD—On September 21, 2013, the West Hollywood City Council banned the selling of fur in the region. The ban was implemented to reduce animal cruelty. Animal welfare activists visited Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday, August 1 in hopes of increasing the ban radius to all of Los Angeles.
The motion to implement the ban was proposed by councilmembers Paul Koretz, Mitch O’Farrell and Bob Blumenfield.
The ban would include any sort of animal skin or pelt and selling in pawn shops, second-hand stores, or nonprofit organizations. After news broke on KTLA’s twitter, some residents were shocked to know that fur was still being sold tweeting, “What?! Fur is still a thing?” and “I honestly thought fur had already been banned”.
The Los Angeles Times spoke to Paul Naim, a shop owner in the Fashion District of Los Angeles that sells several fur products.
“First it’s what you wear, then it’s what you can eat. It’s not what democracy is supposed to be,” said Naim.
According to PETA, the process in which the fur is taken require the animals to be alive. Many of the animals whose coats are used for fur live in small cages and endure stress due to diseases, parasites, and psychological abuse. This type of breeding is known as fur farming.
The city of Los Angeles minimized animal abuse in recent years by banning bullhooks for elephants in circuses and banning wild animals for entertainment purposes.
