Hundreds of wolf-dogs, foxes, & skunks rescued from ‘the most horrific’ Ohio urine & fur farm


Content Warning: Animal Abuse
The Humane Society of the United States said an Ohio farm was used to raise and slaughter hundreds of animals for their fur and urine, and to sell them as exotic pets. The Humane Society was called to the property after the owner died in late December.
Hundreds of foxes, coyotes, skunks, and wolf-dog hybrids were rescued last week from horrific conditions on a farm in Ashtabula County.
“This is one of the most horrific situations I have ever seen – the terror and pain was palpable,” Adam Parascandola, vice-president of the Humane Society of the US animal rescue team, said in a press release. These animals were living in filthy wire-bottom cages with no protection from frigid conditions. Many of them had missing limbs, which veterinarians said were from the harsh wire flooring.

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Without going into too much detail, some of the animals weren’t necessarily bred on the farm, but caught in excruciatingly painful steel-jaw leghold traps, which were found around the property.
“The animals were being raised and slaughtered for fur, bred for sale as exotic pets, and held captive for urine farming,” said the National Humane Society. “Predator urine is advertised for use in hunting, trapping, dog training, and ironically, as a ‘humane’ wild animal deterrent for gardeners.”
Animals in the fur trade suffer immensely, both in their daily lives and when they are killed, often with methods like gassing, anal electrocution or clubbing, which result in slow, painful deaths and are commonly used on fur farms because they prevent damage to the pelt. Responders found electrocution tools on the property.
In the U.S., there are no federal regulations related to the welfare, care or slaughter of animals farmed for their fur. While Grand River Fur Exchange was licensed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio does not have laws or standards of care for fur farms or slaughter. In fact, New York’s ban on anal and genital electrocution of foxes is the only state-level law on fur farm welfare.
“Ohio must end the suffering of wild animals being farmed for fur or urine, or to be sold as pets. These inherently exploitative industries profit from animal cruelty and are radically out of step with the values of our state,” said Mark Finneran, Ohio state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “While I’m proud of the efforts made to help the animals on this farm, we can never allow this horrific treatment of animals to happen in Ohio again.”
Some of the animals had to be humanely euthanized on the property during the course of the rescue operation. But the good news is ultimately, more than 330 animals rescued from the property were able to be placed with wildlife rehabbers and sanctuaries.
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