Tell Harper's Bazaar that Baby Leopards are Not Spring Fashions

FROM  Big Cat Rescue

ACTION

Tell Harper's Bazaar and American Advertising Federation that their use of wild animals in their advertisements and magazine covers is unacceptable, inhumane, and must stop.

Sign an online petition

And/Or make direct contact:

Harper’s Bazaar online comment page
http://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/contact-us.htm

Harper's Bazaar
phone (212) 903-5000

American Advertising Federation
phone (800) 999-2231

INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

Leopard print isn’t just an accessory anymore. Shockingly, we’re seeing companies using real leopards in their advertising campaigns – especially baby leopards. Just last month, HARPER’S BAZAAR featured a baby leopard as part of their January Spring Fashion Preview cover shot.

The sad fact is that, with companies like HARPER’S BAZAAR hiring breeders and exhibitors of wild animals, this contributes to the rampant breeding and trade in these animals. Captive leopards, living well into their twenties, grow and become more dangerous, more expensive to care for, and more often a liability.

Regulations vary from state to state. What happens to these animals when they’re no longer “cute” and profitable? Accredited zoos won’t take them and accredited sanctuaries are overflowing with castoffs.

With so few inspectors available, it's difficult to trace where they eventually end up. They often just disappear. Wild animals are traded illegally—to the tune of $10 billion or more globally each year, an amount second only to arms and drug smuggling.

Though companies like HARPER’S BAZAAR feel they fulfill their obligation by assuring humane treatment during the shoot, does corporate responsibility really end when the photo shoot ends? By using them this way, the demand they create for these animals often contributes to a lifetime of abuse.

Thank you for everything you do for animals!