The images in the following program are very sensitive and may be as disturbing to viewers as they were to us. However, we have to show the truth about cruelty to animals.

HOST: What would you do if you knew that the soft fur wrapped around your neck had been ripped from living, breathing dogs and cats？ Did you know that the material used to make your tennis shoes might be the skin of a sweet animal such as a Kangaroo？

On today’s Stop Animal Cruelty program, we interview Shannon Keith of Los Angeles, USA, a vegan animal rights advocate, attorney, and award winning film director.  In ２００４, she founded the non-profit organization Animal Rescue Media Education which rescues and re-homes wonderful animal companions like dogs and cats. The organization also produces important documentaries such the newly premiered 『Skin Trade』 which reveals the horrendous truth about the leather and fur industries.  

The film features prominent people in the United States who support kindness to animals such as television actress Jorja Fox, author Rory Freedman, rock star Rikki Rockett, Hollywood actor James Cromwell, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, fashion designer Ashley Paige, and designer Todd Oldham.

Shannon Keith : Fur is one of those things that there is just no argument for. Fur for vanity, that’s ridiculous. It should be gone and over with it by now and I think that most people agree. People just don’t know how to stop it. So I made 『Skin Trade』 so that people can see what goes on, how animals are killed for fur and how they can make a change and stop the brutal fur and fashion industries.

Shannon Keith (f): It’s really sad. There are different ways that animals are used for fur and trapped
and killed. The most prevalent way is animals are bred and raised on factory farms, so they are in tiny,
confined spaces where they can hardly move. We are talking animals that are used to (roaming) miles and miles of territory in the wild, you know,

Shannon Keith (f): foxes, coyotes, wolves, lynxes, mink, beautiful, gorgeous, fur-bearing animals
that love their terrain and love their freedom.

Shannon Keith (f): They are being raised on these tiny factory farms, a lot of times indoors. They are not given food.  They are not given water for a couple of weeks.

For more details on 『Skin Trade』, please visit
www.SkinTradetheMovie.com
For more information on Animal Rescue Media Education,
please visit: www.ARME.tv