Clothing/Cosmetics and Animal Abuse Article from All-Creatures.org

Wolf, bobcat, and lynx fur farms uncovered in Canada

From The Fur-Bearers
November 2023

While numerous countries have banned fur farming, this discovery places Canada on the global map for all the wrong reasons. There is absolutely no justification to breed, confine, and kill Canadian wildlife for their fur. All wildlife species deserve to live free in their own habitats, not confined on fur farms so that the fur industry can profit from their pelts in the fashion fur trade.

For graphs and more details, visit Fur-Bearers website here.

A Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in the wild. Photo credit: Jillian Cooper / Getty Images

Canada’s fur farm industry is worse than we thought. Through multiple freedom of information requests, The Fur-Bearers has learned that wolves, bobcats, and lynx are being farmed for their fur in Canada. This shocking information reveals a disturbing new dimension to the fashion fur trade, where iconic Canadian wildlife species are kept captive and killed for their fur pelts.

The Fur-Bearers has compiled data gathered from provincial and federal sources to track the species of animals farmed for their fur and the number of active fur farms in Canada.

Minks and foxes are known to be farmed for their fur in Canada, and it was only through The Fur-Bearers’ research that the public learned chinchillas are farmed for their fur as well. But this new information doubles the number of confirmed animal species to be farmed in their fur in Canada to six: minks, foxes, chinchillas, wolves, bobcats, and lynx. While Ontario and Nova Scotia are the largest fur producing provinces in Canada, the fur farms with wolves, bobcats, and lynx are in provinces not typically known for fur farming: Alberta and Saskatchewan.

OOur freedom of information requests uncovered one active lynx fur farm in Alberta and five active fur farms in Saskatchewan that farm wolves, bobcats, lynx, and foxes. According to the records obtained from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the largest fur farm in the province has been operating since 1996 and was recorded to have 23 lynx, 25 wolves, and 11 foxes at the most recent inventory.

These additional species are not well-known to be farmed elsewhere the world. A recent review article examined the global fur farm sector and found that 15 animal species are farmed for their fur in at least 19 countries; wolves, bobcats, and lynx were not identified on this list.

While numerous countries have banned fur farming, this discovery places Canada on the global map for all the wrong reasons. There is absolutely no justification to breed, confine, and kill Canadian wildlife for their fur. All wildlife species deserve to live free in their own habitats, not confined on fur farms so that the fur industry can profit from their pelts in the fashion fur trade. 

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