Some populations of large wildlife appear to be thriving, on both sides of the Atlantic, which is great from a conservation viewpoint, and sometimes good for hunters and trappers, but usually not so good for the people who live alongside these dangerous animals.

One species of large wildlife that's causing conflict across North America is the "urban coyote", so it's fortunate that the market for coyote pelts is strong, thanks in large part to Canada Goose's coyote-lined parkas and their imitators. In Saskatchewan, producer of some of the finest coyote pelts, trappers are now setting records. The coyote harvest in 2017-18 was the highest on record, accounting for a staggering 83% of all income from wild furs. Not surprisingly, the number of trapping licenses issued was also up, which the president of the Saskatchewan Trappers Association, Wrangler Hamm, says is a national trend.

Staying in Canada, experts still can't agree on whether polar bear populations are going up, down, or sideways. Most authorities, including Environment Canada, say the overall trend is down, but Inuit in Nunavut say there are so many now, they're a threat to human safety. A proposed management plan, to go to public hearing this week, calls for a relaxation of hunting restrictions.

Meanwhile south of the border, the US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would remove gray wolves nationwide from protection under the Endangered Species Act and open them to state hunting and trapping seasons. Farmers and ranchers won't be celebrating just yet though. Similar bills have passed the House in recent years but stalled in the Senate.

And over in Europe, it's great that conservation programs for wolves and bears are working, but inevitable that conflicts with humans, in particular farmers, are increasing. In France alone, wolves killed 10,000 sheep in 2016. Now the EU has promised to stick taxpayers with the bill for compensating farmers for any damages, plus costs for electric fences and guard dogs. Culling has its supporters, and that support will only grow the more successful these conservation programs are.

Plastic Clothing No Good - All Agreed?

The opinion now appears to be unanimous that plastic fast fashion, including most fake fur, is bad for the environment, but it bears repeating until everyone gets the message. Remember, the revelation that plastic microfibres are turning up everywhere has only been on everyone's lips for a couple of years. So it's bitter-sweet to learn that plastic has now been found in the poop of fur seals and, inevitably, humans.

Blogger and influencer Samantha De Riviziis, a.k.a. Lady Fur, told Italian wire service ANSA that purveyors of plastic clothing must be more honest about what they're selling. "There's a lot of confusion," she says. "Designers should communicate more clearly with consumers, defining what it means to be 'organic', 'eco', 'green', 'fur-free', 'vegan' and 'eco-fur', because it doesn't always mean respect for the environment."

One designer who got a dressing down for setting a bad example is Stella McCartney. Wittingly or not, McCartney is promoting faux leather made of plastic, says British fashion designer Patrick Grant. "Almost certainly Stella is using the very best alternatives [to real leather], but the problem is that all the people that have seen what she’s doing have copied her and polyurethane has taken off as an alternative to leather. But it is bad s**t: the way it’s made and the way it doesn’t biodegrade." Grant has also Tweeted words of wisdom about where the real problem lies (see above).

Truth About Fur Audience Growing

Truth About Fur wants to reach as wide an audience as possible, so we were elated that our blog posts in November were among our most popular ever.

Our senior researcher, Alan Herscovici, discussed everything that society stands to lose if the recent spate of fur retail bans spreads beyond California. "The recent surge in anti-fur campaigning makes me feel angry, but also very sad," he writes. "Angry, because most anti-fur rhetoric is so completely misinformed and malicious. Sad, because the public debate about fur is based on a grotesque caricature of the fur trade that completely ignores the unique knowledge, skills, culture and, yes, values maintained by this remarkable heritage industry."

And Derek Martel of the Fur Institute of Canada interviewed proud Cree trapper Robert Grandjambe, who is also the focus of a new CBC documentary, Fox Chaser: A Winter on the Trapline. “People need to better understand the importance of what trappers do, because I don’t think they get it,” says Grandjambe. “We must educate people to understand that everything the trapper does contributes to a natural and sustainable way of life and the environment, and is crucial for the culture and health of our communities.”

Thank you to all our readers who "Like" and "Share" our posts on social media, and please consider joining our 64,000 followers on Facebook and let us know what you think.

Looney Tunes

People have been saying for years that we should ignore PETA's publicity-grabbing stunts, but the media were all over this one so it's too late. PETA wants an English village called Wool to change its name to Vegan Wool because its current name "promotes hideous animal cruelty". As PETA no doubt anticipated, the village council refused to even discuss this stupid proposal, but heh, PETA got its free column inches!

Equally absurd was a lady guest on the TV show Good Morning Britain who got torn apart by host Piers Morgan. According to this animal lover, guide dogs for the blind are unethical because the dogs haven't given their consent to be used in this way!

October 2015 has come and gone, it's time for our monthly Fur In The News roundup. Let's start with trapping since the season is now well under way.

We loved this piece, "Getting permission should be your mission," for its very useful tips on maintaining a good relationship with the owners of the land on which you trap. It may not be at the forefront of trappers' minds, but it certainly is important!

"Trapping is serious business" also features some great tips and reminds us all that the reputation of the trapping industry relies a great deal on how trappers work.

As for this debate, "Does hunting promote conservation?," I'll bet you can guess which side we are on!

We were thrilled to hear about this trapping education program in Ontario for primary and secondary students, which teaches them valuable skills and gets them out into nature. And if you aren't a trapper and run into a coyote by surprise, this article tells you what to do. Best to read it now, since it might not be convenient when you actually need the information!

Not only are we in trapping season, but we are also in fur fashion season. When the weather gets cold, what else could you possibly want to wear?

For inspiration for your fur wardrobe, check out the amazing Fur Now campaign (pictured above.) If you are thinking of reviving an old fur coat to wear this season, then read these fur restoration and care tips. Toronto Life did a great piece on how a Canada Goose coat is made (proudly in Canada!), but if you are just looking for some fur fashion inspiration, then we suggest these Stoffa fur hats, or the Fendi fur sweaters pictured at the top of this page.

Speaking about shopping, when you are making your holiday gift list, be sure to consider some seal skin. We love this seal skin fine art, and here's a great boutique to stock up on shoes, gloves, hats and other items made from our furry sea friends.

No monthly round up would be complete without reviewing what our activist "friends" (enemies) have been doing.

PETA is currently discriminating against pit bulls (apparently some pets are worse than others) and we'd like to remind them that there are no bad dog breeds, only bad dog owners. In other doggie news, a group in France decided to steal a homeless man's dog, claiming he wasn't taking care of it. The video, including the dog owner crying, is here.

Nobel prize winners were announced in October and we loved the graphic above from Understanding Animal Research. Thanks to animal research, we have made great strides in science and this should never be forgotten, or prevented in the future. Speaking of animals in labs, this article about an activist taking a tour of an animal testing lab resulted in something unexpected – for them! It turned out that they were very impressed about how the animals were being cared for!

The Animal Ag Alliance has some great suggestions on how to deal with farm security threats, and if you are only fighting them on Facebook, you may want to repost the graphic above, reminding self-righteous vegans that they probably consume a lot of animal parts, one way or another.

Or you could remind your anti-fur, silk-wearing friends that silk is made by boiling worms alive. That was the topic of our first in a new blog series featuring animal hypocrites, starting with Stella McCartney who claims that killing animals for fashion is wrong, but sells shirts and dresses made from silk.

Now for a few bits and bobs:

• This library in Alaska lends out stuffed puffins, wolf furs, and walrus skulls complete with tusks.

• Want to know what the world's densest furs are? Read our latest blog post to find out.

• This graphic has exposed the truth about Santa's reindeer. They're all ... well, take a look for yourself! And we'll sneak a peek when they turn up on our roof next month!

• There can be no doubt! Canada's new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is a huge fan of fur. Here's his 2010 family Christmas card!

And of course we can't end a monthly roundup without a cute animal, so here is a pet fox in a dog bed practising the high jump!

We encounter a lot of hypocrisy here at Truth About Fur, as it seems most anti-fur folk like bacon, wear leather, or think that synthetics don’t kill animals. (Tell that to the families of the birds that died in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill!) Today’s feature, the first in our Hypocrite series, is about one of the most hypocritical fashion designers we know: Stella McCartney.

The list of Stella McCartney’s hypocritical actions is long. Let’s not start on the fact that her company is owned by the same company that owns Gucci, best known for its leather goods. Or that she has several homes and frequently flies around the world for work. That’s not good for the environment, is it?

We also aren’t going to talk about the fact that Stella McCartney has acknowledged the popularity and beauty of fur by launching her own collection of (synthetic, tacky) fake fur pieces. She routinely uses synthetic materials that are not sustainable and are derived from petroleum by-products, whilst preaching about taking care of the environment. But that’s also not what we are talking about today.

Today we are going to focus on silk.

The hypocrite: Stella McCartney, British fashion designer, lifelong vegetarian, and occasional spokesperson for PETA.

The hypocrisy: Stella McCartney refuses to use leather or fur in her collections, and claims “the decision not to use leather or fur is not just because I don’t eat animals or that I think that millions of animals each year shouldn’t be killed for the sake of fashion. It’s because I also believe in the connection between fur and leather and the environment.”

However, Stella McCartney uses a lot of silk in her collections.

Do you know how silk is harvested? Silk worms are boiled alive in their cocoons, allowing the long fibres to be extracted. This gets less media attention than fur because larvae aren’t as cute as mink and fox.

What they say: PETA describes Stella McCartney as an “inspired and compassionate trendsetter” whose “award-winning collections are proudly free of leather, fur, and other skins.” Funny they didn’t mention that her collections include many garments made from animals that have been boiled alive.

What we say: If Stella McCartney wants to make fashion collections without leather or fur, then that is fine. But can she please spare us the preaching about how the leather and fur industries are cruel to animals and the environment, when her own web store is stocked with garments made from non-biodegradable accessories and dresses whose fabric’s production process involves boiling animals alive?

And if she doesn’t think that millions of animals should be killed “for the sake of fashion,” how does she explain all of the silk on her website? Is it because worms’ lives aren’t as valuable as minks’ or foxes’, or is it because Stella McCartney is a hypocrite? I think we all know the answer to that.