The exorbitantly priced and equally hideous Canada Goose jackets are regarded by many people as a status symbol, since only persons of a certain economic class are believed to have the means to spend upwards of $1,500.00 on a single garment. But, as with all the products derived from the bodies of animals, the retail price of the item itself is not an accurate reflection of its true cost. The true cost of a Canada Goose jacket will not appear on the credit card statement of those who buy it. The true cost of a Canada Goose jacket is in the pain and slaughter inflicted on the animals who suffered and died for it.
The true cost of a Canada Goose jacket is born by the coyotes who are caught in cruel and painful leg-hold traps, only to be shot and then skinned, so their fur can be made into trim for the jackets' collars.
The true cost of a Canada Goose jacket is also to be measured in the suffering of geese, who repeatedly have their feathers ripped from their sensitive bodies by workers whose main concern is not the well-being or comfort of the animals, but plucking out the greatest number of feathers in the shortest amount of time. These feathers, known as "down", are used to insulate Canada Goose jackets.
These are the true costs of a Canada Goose jacket and they cannot be measured in dollars, yen, or Euros. And nor can those who bear those costs, the animals who suffer and die, ever be compensated.
And although we can never hope to recompense those innocent animals who have suffered such unforgivable cruelty for the sake of human vanity, we can do our utmost to honor them and to try to put an end to the system of brutal exploitation that causes so much needless pain and suffering.
Recently, several dozen New York City animal rights activists, myself included, held a silent vigil (organized by ALF New York and Anonymous For The Voiceless) for the forgotten and abused victims of the cruel and inhumane fur and down industries. The first stop was the Canada Goose store on Wooster Street in downtown Manhattan, and the second was Paragon Sports, a sporting goods store that has put profits over compassion by selling Canada Goose jackets.
Below are photos of the event, taken on Saturday, January 13th, 2018.
Animal rights activists make their way to Wooster Street for the silent vigil.
One of the many signs held by activists outside the Canada Goose store on Wooster Street
The photo on this sign depicts a coyote who has been caught in a painful leg-hold trap. Animals caught in these cruel devices often languish for many hours or even days before the trappers return to the traps and shoot the animals in the head. Despite what the PR team at Canada Goose tells you, there is nothing humane about these medieval devices. And nor are the victims invariably coyotes. These traps are completely indiscriminate and often ensnare and kill endangered animals, companion animals, and many other so-called "non-target" animals.
Fur is the product of cruelty, suffering, and slaughter, and those who choose to wear it are choosing to be complicit in the deaths of those animals from whose bodies the fur was taken. Why choose fur, when so many cruelty-free alternatives exist?
I couldn't have said it better myself.
This activist holds an tablet that displays video footage of the barbaric methods used to obtain the body parts used in Canada Goose jackets.
These people are quite glad to patronize Canada Goose and thus support the cruel practices by which the fur and down used on the jackets are made. The very least I could is publish their photos.
A private security guard escorts two Canada Goose patrons from the Wooster Street location as a member of the NYPD casts a scornful glance my way.
This is Bella. I had the pleasure of meeting her right after the protest at Paragon Sports. If you wouldn't wear a jacket made from Bella, or any other domestic dog, then why wear a Canada Goose jacket, which is made partially from the hide of Bella's close relative, the coyote?
All images copyright 2018, Vegan Future Now.