[OKC] Coats for Cubs program

[Miles, Karen]

Here is a great recycling idea...

 

Back to nature: Used fur coats warm ill animals 

Donations from Coats for Cubs program used to line nests, offer comfort

The Associated Press

updated 3:14 p.m. CT, Tues., Feb. 2, 2010

LOS ANGELES - Got a fur coat gathering dust? The Humane Society suggests
the ultimate recycling - putting it on the backs of other animals.

The Coats for Cubs program by the Humane Society of the United States
helps orphaned, injured or sick wildlife by gathering fur coats and
using them for nests, bedding or cuddly replacements for mom and dad. In
2009, 2,687 fur items were donated.

"We use the discarded furs as bedding to give the animals comfort and
reduce stress," said Michael Markarian, the agency's chief operating
officer in Washington, D.C. "The fur garments act as a surrogate mother.
It is a warm and furry substitute."

The coats go to wildlife rehabilitation centers that take in baby
raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, coyotes, skunks and other animals, and
has helped thousands of animals since it began in 2005 with the Fund for
Animals.

Markarian said many of the coats are donated by people who find fur to
be inhumane - whether the animals are trapped in steel-jawed traps or
raised on factory farms. For those who have fur and no longer want to
wear it, "This is a great way for them to give back to the animals," he
said.

Amber Ginter, 13, from Kingston, Ohio, spent last summer collecting fur
coats as part of a community project affiliated with the Humane Society.
She put a box in her church, wrote a letter describing the project in
the church bulletin and collected 30 coats in two months, she said.

"It was kind of sad to see all the furs because you know they had to
kill the animals to get them," said Amber, who wants to be a
veterinarian or zoologist when she grows up.

The Florida Wildlife Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. has used coats for
wildlife babies in the past, but employees and volunteers had to
scrounge for donations, twist arms, or scour garage sales and thrift
stores. After becoming a Humane Society affiliate last June, the center
got three boxes full of furs and are well stocked for baby season.

Article continues at URL: 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35204350/ns/health-pet_health/

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20100202/b75d6991/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 2310 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20100202/b75d6991/attachment.gif>