Sep24
Donated Fur Helps Freezing Africans
Posted at 04:23 PM | Permalink
| 
Comments (26)
If an animal's skin has already been stolen from its rightful owner, how can you make the best of an awful situation? By giving the skin to charity!
Recently, PETA Europe donated around 100 fur coats and leather and wool items to the charity Let's Help Africa in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The charity then took the coats into the freezing mountains of Lesotho and gave them to needy farmers and poor herd boys. Even when the temperature plummets to below freezing, these folks have no choice but to spend their days working outside.
As you can see from the photos below, the people of Lesotho definitely needed these coats—and they loved having them!
After PETA Europe donated the fur coats, the president of Let's Help Africa wrote a very lovely note. In his letter, he wrote, "I am sure you sowed in good soil; those boys are beyond grateful and some of their lives will be saved because of your donation. So thank you very, very much; we honor you for your generosity."
Stories like this are only possible with your support. Every year PETA receives hundreds of fur, leather, and wool donations from compassionate people who appreciate that animals are not ours to wear. (Really, why would someone want to wear a dead animal for fun?!) So they mail us their old coats or new gifts, and we in turn donate them to charities or wildlife rehabilitation centers. This way, only people and animals who are truly in need can benefit from them.
Do you have something to donate today?
Posted by Carrie Ann Harris
TAGGED:
Fur wool leather Let's Help Africa donation
Comments
BLESS YOU PETA! I JUST CRIED WHEN I SAW THE PICTURES! YOU HELP SAVED THE LIVES OF THOSE POOR PEOPLE. THE POOR TORTURED ANIMALS THAT WERE KILLED TO BE TURNED INTO THOSE COATS FOR FASHION HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO SOMETHING MORE MEANING FULL.
Posted by: SASHA | September 24, 2008 04:20 PM
I'm too sure what to make of this. It's like passing along the cruelty to others. However, I am very glad that PETA is donating to people who need clothes.
Posted by: Aneliese | September 24, 2008 04:30 PM
This is great but are these people told why Peta has given them fur coats? My only concern is that these people will think it is acceptable to wear fur, leather, etc and pass on that way of thinking to their children.
Posted by: NT | September 24, 2008 04:43 PM
How wonderful, This is a really great thing, thanks for the article, and a big thumbs up to PETA,(as usual)
Posted by: Kathleen | September 24, 2008 04:59 PM
could you include a link for the 'Let's Help Africa' organization? can't say i like their condesending name but i certainly love your donation to them!
Posted by: curious | September 24, 2008 05:28 PM
i agree with some of the other posts. although they are need of outerwear, i just think the whole idea is somewhat bizarre. i would personally want to bury the coat, just like we bury humans when they die...
Posted by: aj | September 24, 2008 10:01 PM
Who dat humble liddle doggie just behind and to the left of the man in the 1st picture?
Posted by: lynda downie | September 25, 2008 12:09 AM
No Peta, for once I will have to deny you a donation!
My items are totally wool, leather and of course, fur free. Even now fake fur free.
I hope all know that supposed 'fake fur' is actually a clever marketing gimic to get us to buy (mainly from China) dog fur (domesticated dogs not a dog related species) marketed as 'fake' fur. Peta is once again doing the publicity work on this horrible industry.
The international fur industry does not want you to know this about fur.
And those fur wearers wearing just a bit of fur trim. That can be dog fur and most probably is as small pieces do not have to be labeled as to what animal fur they are.
Fur is horrible, I have always thought that, but fake fur can be just as hideous.
Posted by: Valerie | September 25, 2008 09:22 AM
this is absurd
Posted by: AAG | September 25, 2008 09:36 AM
I love this. Suhc a great idea. When I went vegan I donated all of my leather goods (heels, belts etc.) to a women's shelter and they went to women who had left their abusive husbands and needed clothes to go to job interviews to get back on their feet. You can't bring the animal back and it's better to help those who need SOMETHING. People are animals too. That's my way of looking at it.
Posted by: Laura | September 25, 2008 09:39 AM
YOU ARE AWESOME PETA! I WILL SEND YOU SOME OLD FUR COATS THAT MY NEIGHBOR GAVE ME! WHAT A GREAT, GREAT CAUSE! THANK YOU.
Posted by: carolyn | September 25, 2008 01:00 PM
why would you bury a fur coat instead of giving it to someone who can use it or someone who will wear it in place of buying a new one?! it's already there. may as well make us of it in hopes of more being produced!
Posted by: elin | September 25, 2008 02:26 PM
This is awesome! Great work PETA. I have some differences with PETA's philosphy but I think this is great. I've been to Lesotho and it gets bloody cold there. Fur sucks but if its lying around at least use it.
Posted by: jay | September 25, 2008 02:59 PM
These people need warmth right?
It's not like these folks are going to go out next fur season and upgrade their furs! I'm with Lynda, who does that pup belong to and is he or she alright?
Abolish Animal Slavery!
Most of my heroes wear masks!
Posted by: Judith FFFA | September 25, 2008 03:13 PM
PETA this is how it should be. These are the only people who truly need fur coats. People who live off the land without even the basic necessities are not going to think, "hey, it's cool to wear fur or how rich I look!" They are just grateful they can get through the winter! Only developed nations wear fur for vanity!
Great job, you did it again! <3PETA :x
Posted by: mlo | September 25, 2008 04:39 PM
Good. These folks have insanely difficult lives. If all of us lived off the land like this we could save billions of animals from pollution, car hits, habitat loss, I could go on for hours.
And the price these Africans pay is pain, disease and tragedies that most of us can never imagine.
If enough celebrities see this they may give up their fur coats and decide that they don't need to support cruelty any more.
STUDIES OF THE HUMAN MIND SHOW THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED TO TAKE ONE STEP, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE TWO MORE STEPS.
Those who give up their fur coats to charity will then be more likely to do another kind act.
Well done PETA.
Posted by: Maya, C.V.T. | September 25, 2008 05:43 PM
This is a wonderful charity! these are people who actually need fur to survive, not the selfish westerns who wear it because they think its attractive. i dont believe in fur, but if the coat is already made, it is better to give it to the needy than to let it get wasted.
also, i dont think that is influencing these people to wear more animal products. honestly, they probubly need to in order to survive anyway. it is a different place than america.
Posted by: Sparky | September 25, 2008 06:03 PM
Isn't it a bit hypocritical to do this? And for people to send you NEW furs as donations??? How does that make sense? You buy the furs, the makers assume people are wearing them, kill more animals and make more. Seems sort of backwards to me.
Kudos for trying to help those in need but there could have been a better way of doing it.
Posted by: Melinda | September 25, 2008 09:31 PM
Great Job!
I live in Port Elizabeth South Africa, great to see your work on my doorstep, keep it up!
Warm greetings from South Africa!
Posted by: nick | September 26, 2008 02:20 AM
Personally I'm glad PETA did this. Taking first-world, high-end luxury items and donating them to people in the developing world -- who are facing basic survival issues (adequate food, clothing, shelter)...hurrah! I'd rather seen fur recycled to those in need while we in the first-world countries work on educating and eliminating these dead animal products from our lifestyles. We're blessed with the time and resources to make positive change in the world, let's do it and keep helping ALL the less fortunates in the world. Blessed Be.
Posted by: Jenn | September 27, 2008 02:53 PM
Thats wonderful to hear that the lives where not taken in vain. That Peta found a way to bring some good out of something so evil as fur farming is amazing. I only have my leather 20 eyelet Doc Martins I never wore fur, and I have a allergy to wool. Sorry I don't even know if you want ten year old boots?
Posted by: Crystal | September 27, 2008 07:00 PM
i used to have fur coats but i never wore them because i couldn't because of the animals. but i am not quite sure if they were fake though. i got them second handed.
Posted by: star | September 28, 2008 01:12 AM
I'm glad you're passing on help to people who actually need fur coats. Are these coats that have been donated to you, or did you buy them?
Posted by: Hazel | September 30, 2008 02:40 PM
Yeah, I agree. Why bury it when the damage has already been done, when someone in NEED could use them? Who knows, it could even prevent them from killing for fur to wear. I think its a great idea, no need to get righteous about it.
Posted by: marlies | October 9, 2008 04:49 PM
I do not get the point to this....they can have the fur but you all dont want anyone else to!? I makes little since.
Posted by: Kaylyn | October 31, 2008 01:30 PM
Kaylyn (& anyone else who says they don't see why this is okay)...
I think the point is that when some rich broad on Park Avenue buys a fur coat, its 100% pure luxury. Most of the people for whom fur is produced wear their coat from the front door to the car door & back again. They barely need a coat at all, let alone a coat that an animal(s) had to die for.
These people, OTOH are the poorest of the poor, yet they spend long hours outside in sub-freezing temperatures. They don't have the luxury of choosing, or driving a Benz with heated seats... So, ANY coats that are given are going to be a blessing. Purchasing coats that are vegan are probably going to yield fewer donations than accepting the fur from animals that have already died.
The other alternative would be to burn the coats, in which case the animals have died in vain.
Posted by: Melanie | November 1, 2008 03:12 PM