Dream Of A Long Fur Coat; Judgement On A Past Time Essay, Research Paper

Judgment on a Past Time

In reading the selection Dream of a Long Fur Coat, by Barbra Drews, I noticed that not all people view the world the same way. In this selection the author feels that animals that are trapped or raised in pins are being wrongly killed for the use of their fur. She justifies her reasons for feeling this way by over exaggerating the events that lead to the processing of fur.

Barbra Drews clearly explains how iron traps, the most common traps used by trappers, do their part in killing the animal. The author shows this by explaning that live animals caught in traps suffer greatly.

The author draws support to her case by using quotations from famous people such as Cleveland Amory. Amory is quoted in the selection to say until the leghold trap is outlawed, any woman who wears a fur has on her back 150 hours of torture. This is an opinion that has no factual evidence to back it.

Drews also feels that it is immoral to raise fur bearing animals because they are prevented from carrying on their life as the would in nature. However, she fails to mention that common animals such as cattle, goats, pigs, ducks, geese, and sheep have been domesticated to live in pins the same ways that animals being used for fur are being domesticated. She also forgets to tell her audience that these animals were once wild animals captured and bred for food and clothing in the same way the fur bearing animal are.

Drew also states as high as 95% of all animals trapped are non-target animals. Trapping is like playing a hand of blackjack. The intent when playing blackjack is to get a blackjack every time. This is unrealistic because many times a person can win with something other than that. The same goes for trapping. Just because the trap was set for a certain type of animal, it does not mean that the animal that it catches will be discarded. Often the animal caught in the trap is just as valuable as the intended animal.

In my opinion, I feel that trapping has been a way of life for people of the past and should continue to be part of the lives of people today. Many trappers are 3rd and 4th generation trappers who s trades were passed down from one generation to the next. For many families, trapping was a way of life. It provided them with food and clothing during the winter when times were tough and money was scarce.

Today, few people trap animals for a living, but many use trapping as a tribute to their ancestors. A handful of people have noticed the strong demand for fur as the cattle ranchers did for beef. Just as cattle, these animals have been cultivated to produce the finest fur possible which would not have happened if it were loose in the wild.

Trapping is also done for other reasons than to get fur. Trapping has been a way to capture animals that have become a nucence to society or animals that pose a threat to ones possessions. By being a nucence, the animal is destroying property, killing animals such as dogs, cats, cows, and chickens or it is a threat to human lives.

Trapping also helps to keep the population of animals in check. The environment can only hold so many animals before it becomes over populated. By capturing a few of these animals it relieves stress upon the whole system and allow the population as a whole to flourish to a greater level.

Trapping and raising animals for practical uses may not be accepted by all, but it must be accepted by the greater majority due to the fact that the demand for these animals continues to rise.