Is your fur fake, or is it Fido?

By Kasie Hunt
Associated Press
Feb. 23, 2007 08:38 AM

WASHINGTON - That fur trim on your jacket that you think is fake? Tell it to Fido.

An animal advocacy group says its investigation has turned up coats - some with designer labels, some at higher-end retailers - with fur from man's best friend. Some retailers were set scrambling to pull the coats from shelves, take them off Web sites and even offer refunds to consumers.

The Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels - Andrew Marc, Tommy Hilfiger, for example - and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake.

"It's an industrywide deception," said Kristin Leppert, the head of the Human Society's anti-fur campaign.

The investigation began after the society got a tip from a consumer who bought a coat with trim labeled as faux fur that felt real. Leppert and her team began buying coats from popular retailers and then had the coats tested by mass spectrometry, which measures the mass and sequence of proteins, to determine what species of animal the fur came from.

Of the 25 coats tested, 24 were mislabeled or misadvertised.

Three coats - from Tommy Hilfiger's Web site ShopTommy.com, Nordstrom.com and a coat from Andrew Marc's MARC New York line sold on Bluefly.com - contained fur from domesticated dogs. The others had fur from raccoon dogs - a canine species native to Asia - or, in one case, wolves. The single correctly labeled coat was trimmed with coyote fur, but it was advertised as fake.

Most of the fur came from China.

In response to the Humane Society's investigation, Tommy Hilfiger stopped selling the fur-trimmed garment and said it was looking into the matter. "We were quite concerned to hear of this finding," said spokeswoman Wendi Kopsick.

Nordstrom called the 62 consumers who had purchased vests with dog fur trim to give them the opportunity to return the vests "because we would never want to deceive our customers in any way," Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White said. She said Nordstrom no longer buys fur trim products from the vendor, who had marketed the vests as faux fur.

Charles Jayson, chief executive of Andrew Marc, disputed the Humane Society and insisted in a statement that all fur on his coats labeled as raccoon contains "only farm-bred raccoon fur from Finland, and our items labeled faux fur' are a 100 percent synthetic fabric."

Importing domestic dog and cat fur was outlawed in 2000. Intentionally importing and selling dog fur is a federal crime punishable by a $10,000 fine for each violation. Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society, said his group had contacted all the retailers and designers selling mislabeled coats or coats with dog fur.

Raccoon dogs look like oversized, fluffy raccoons and aren't kept as pets. Importing their fur is not illegal, but activists argue they are still a type of dog.

"This is an animal that is routinely killed by stomping them, or beating them, or skinning them alive," Markarian said. Video produced by Swiss Animal Protection and posted on the Internet shows raccoon dogs clubbed or slammed on the ground and some writhing, gasping and blinking as they are skinned alive.

The discovery of domestic dog fur is the latest twist in the investigation that ensnared retail giants Macy's and J.C. Penney late last year. Both of those retailers were discovered selling coats with raccoon dog fur labeled as raccoon.

J.C. Penney initially removed the offending garments from its stores around Christmas - but eventually it had employees scratch out the raccoon' label with black magic marker and put the coats back on the shelves. Macy's immediately pulled the items from its shelves.

Burlington Coat Factory also pulled some coats with mislabeled fur from their shelves. Rap artist Sean "Diddy" Combs stopped producing and selling coats from his Sean John line that had raccoon dog fur, and rapper Jay-Z pulled coats with raccoon dog from his Rocawear label.

Mislabeling fur is a misdemeanor punishable by a $5,000 fine or a year in prison. Fur valued at less than $150 is not required to be labeled.

A bill introduced by Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mike Ferguson, R-N.J., would close that loophole by requiring labels for all fur regardless of its value. It also would ban fur from raccoon dogs.

"Americans don't want Lassie turned into a fur coat," Moran said. "In the U.S., we treat cats and dogs as pets, not trimmings for the latest fashion wear."

Other retailers the Humane Society said sold mislabeled raccoon dog fur included Lord & Taylor, BergdorfGoodman.com and Neiman Marcus.com. Designers whose clothes were mismarked included Donna Karan's DKNY and Michael Kors. A coat from Oscar de la Renta advertised as raccoon had raccoon dog fur.

Neiman Marcus, which owns Bergdorf Goodman, said it removed Bogner and Andrew Marc coats from its Web sites. Michael Kors said it was investigating, and a DKNY spokeswoman said the label was unaware that raccoon dog fur had been used.

Donna Karan's executive vice president for global marketing and communications, Patti Cohen, said, "While it is not illegal to use this type of fur, we have taken measures to ensure that it is never again used for any of our products."

A spokeswoman for Oscar de la Renta declined to comment.

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On the Net:

The Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org/

Teens made ostrich impotent, farmer says

Associated Press
Mar. 5, 2007 10:36 AM

BERLIN - Three teenagers may be on the hook for a hefty fine if a court decides that their festive firecrackers outside an eastern German farm scared the libido right out of an ostrich named Gustav.

Rico Gabel, a farmer in Lohsa, northeast of Dresden, is claiming $6,450 in damages for the alleged antics of the three youths, ages 17-18, between Dec. 27 and 29, 2005.

According to his lawsuit, the farmer claims that fireworks set off by the boys made the previously lustful Gustav both apathetic and depressed, and thus unable to perform for a half-a-year with his two female breeding partners.

Before Gustav regained his sex drive in the second half of the year, the farmer estimates he lost out on 14 ostrich offspring — worth $460 apiece.

The suit is due to be heard next Monday in a regional court in nearby Bautzen, the court said Monday. The teenagers' names were not released.

Calif. city turns to birth control to limit squirrel population

Associated Press
Mar. 5, 2007 08:13 AM

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Officials have tried poison, gassing and euthanasia to control a breeding frenzy among squirrels in a city park here. Now, they plan to give birth control a shot.

Under a new program to start this summer, squirrels in Palisades Park will be injected with an immuno-contraceptive vaccine to stunt their sexual development.

"We don't want to kill them if we don't have to," said Joe McGrath, the city's parks chief. "I personally like squirrels, but we also have to be receptive to the county's concerns."

Health officials say the squirrels, which number about 1,000 in the park, pose a public health risk. They warn that the rodents are aggressive and may carry rabies or host fleas that can spread disease, such as bubonic plague.

Since 1998, Santa Monica has been cited five times by Los Angeles County for squirrel overpopulation. But the suppression methods it has used, including euthanasia, have angered animal-loving activists.

City officials say the infertility shots offer a diplomatic solution.

The vaccine, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, stops ovulation and lactation in female squirrels, and testicular development in males. The shots, running $2 to $10, have no side effects such as swelling, said James Gionfriddo, a USDA wildlife biologist.

Santa Monica would be the second city in the state, after Berkeley, to try the immunization program.

Animal activist Catherine Rich said she supports the vaccine program but believes any health risk posed by the squirrels is overblown.

"There is not a pressing threat of squirrels attacking people," Rich said, "so I don't know why the county is getting their panties in a bunch."

Family's Yorkshire puppies stolen at gunpoint

Associated Press
Mar. 2, 2007 09:44 AM

LOS ANGELES - A pair of gunmen men posing as prospective buyers of four Yorkshire puppies forced their way into a home and stole the terriers worth $2,500 each, police said.

They also fled with the family's grown terrier.

After seeing a newspaper ad, the men made an appointment to see the 8-week-old puppies on the night of Feb. 23 at Kelly Lee's home in Koreatown. When they showed up, she said, she asked them to remove their shoes before entering.

One suspect told her they would get slippers from his vehicle, Lee said. When he returned, one pointed a gun at her and three family members.

"They yelled at us to get down" on the floor of the living room, Lee said.

As one man held a gun, the other chased after the puppies scampering around the room and underneath a coffee table, home surveillance video released by police showed. He snatched one of the dogs from Lee's hands.
After stuffing the dogs one by one in a plastic garbage bag, the men fled in a silver car, police said.

No one was injured.

"It appears the suspects answered the ad, knowing the value of the puppies," police Lt. Paul Vernon said.

Although the puppies were valued at $2,500 each, the victims were most concerned about the loss of Tan-ja, the family pet for more than three years.

"I just want to find my dog, that's it," Lee said.

While dog dozes, cat alerts owner to fire

Associated Press
Feb. 28, 2007 10:47 AM

NORWICH, N.Y. - An upstate New York man can thank his pet cat for alerting him to a house fire as his dog snoozed nearby.

The cat is being credited with waking up Edward Rooney after a fire started in his North Norwich home.

Fire officials say Rooney was asleep on a living room couch Tuesday morning when the frisky cat awoke him. Rooney discovered the fire in a bedroom and called the fire department. He was treated for smoke inhalation; the pets weren't hurt.

Investigators say the blaze was caused by an electrical malfunction in a VCR.

Tiger, orangutan babies become playmates at zoo

By Niniek Karmini
Associated Press
Feb. 28, 2007 07:53 AM

CISARUA, Indonesia - Call them the odd couples. A pair of month-old Sumatran tiger twins have become inseparable playmates with a set of young orangutans, an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia's tropical rainforests.

The friendship between 5-month-old female baby primates Nia and Irma, and cubs Dema and Manis, has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo where they share a room in the nursery.

After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.
"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," said zoo keeper Sri Suwarni, bottle-feeding a baby chimp on Wednesday. "Like human babies, they only want to play."

The four have lived side-by-side for a month without a single act of hostility, she said.

Indonesian tigers and orangutans are both endangered species, threatened by rapidly shrinking habitats.

Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 700 Sumatran tigers still alive, while fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild. Around 90 percent of the jungle has been destroyed by illegal logging, poaching and cut-and-burn farming practices on Borneo and Sumatra islands.

The exceptional friendship will likely be short-lived, said veterinarian Retno Sudarwati, because as the animals grow up their natural survival instincts will kick in.

"When the time comes, they will have to be separated. It's sad, but we cant' change their natural behavior," she said. "Tigers start eating meat when they are three months old."

Denver Zoo, police investigate jaguar's fatal attack on keeper

Dan Elliott
Associated Press
Feb. 26, 2007 10:32 AM

DENVER - Officials were trying to determine Sunday why a zookeeper killed by a jaguar had opened the door to the animal's enclosure when zoo policies ban staff members from entering exhibits when big cats are inside.

The Denver Zoo's feline exhibits were closed Sunday for the investigation. Zoo officials also were interviewing staff members to determine what happened.

The zookeeper, 27-year-old Ashlee Pfaff, had opened a door leading from a service area into Jorge the jaguar's enclosure on Saturday.
A visitor saw the attack from outside the glass enclosure, and his shouts alerted other keepers, zoo spokeswoman Ana Bowie said.

Under zoo policy, staff cannot be in any large-cat exhibit when the animal is there.

The jaguar, a 140-pound male, had no history of unusual behavior, Bowie said. Jorge was shot to death by a zoo employee when he approached emergency workers trying to save the zookeeper.

But one big-cat expert said jaguars are naturally mean and erratic.

"They actually are the most unpredictable animal around," said Nick Sculac, director of Big Cats of Serenity Springs, a rescue center 50 miles southwest of Denver.

The zookeeper died at a hospital about 90 minutes after the attack, zoo officials said. She was bitten in the neck, which was broken, and also suffered severe internal injuries, a pathologist said.

Pfaff had undergone regular safety training for the exhibit, shadowed veteran keepers and attended mandatory safety meetings, officials said.

Tiger at zoo kills 6-year-old girl

Associated Press
Feb. 23, 2007 10:28 AM

BEIJING - A 6-year-old girl was bitten to death by a tiger at a south China zoo while posing for a picture with the animal, state media reported Friday.

The girl, identified only as Ruixin, was standing behind the tiger with her mother and four other relatives when it attacked at a zoo in Yunnan province on Thursday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The local Chuncheng Evening News reported on its Web site that the tiger attacked the girl shortly after the flash went off on her uncle's camera. The tiger's paw shot out and grabbed Ruixin, pulling her head into its mouth, it said.

Five zoo staff beat the tiger with wood sticks and a bench until it released the girl after about one minute, it said. Ruixin's mother was also bitten on the hand while struggling to save her daughter.

The girl was taken to a local hospital but rescue efforts failed, Xinhua said.

It said the animal was one of six tigers that perform at a circus in the zoo. The photo service, has been suspended, it said.

Phones at the Yuantongshan Zoo in Yunnan's capital of Kunming, where the attack occurred, rang unanswered. It was not known if the tiger had been killed following the attack.

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