PETA Seeks Fur Coat Donations for Freezing Iranian Earthquake Survivors

Appeal Comes on Heels of Groups Fur Shipment to Survivors, Refugees

Southfield, MI (PRWEB) January 17, 2004 --PETA is appealing to the thousands of former fur- and leather-wearers who have turned their backs on clothing made from animal skins to turn in their coats for a tax deduction and help the group send an emergency shipment to some of the estimated 70,000 earthquake survivors in Bam, Iran, who now find themselves homeless in the middle of winter. Just before the New Year, PETA partnered with Southfield-based Life for Relief & Development to send a first shipment of donated leather and fur coats for earthquake relief. Coats donated to PETA are tax-deductible.

Over the years, PETA has received thousands of coats from people-including Kimberley Hefner, Barbara Bach, and Mary Tyler Moore-who have been sickened by exposés of cruelty to animals caught in steel-jaw leghold traps and driven mad in tiny cages on fur farms. PETA uses the donated furs in library displays, anti-fur fashion shows, street theater, and other educational events designed to convince consumers that animals should never be fashion victims.

So many unwanted furs pour in that PETA has started to donate the surplus to the needy. PETA has distributed coats at homeless shelters throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe and to Afghan refugees following the conflict in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Now, PETA wants to replenish its supply of donated fur and leather coats in order to contribute to earthquake relief for Iran. Coats will also be distributed once again at Afghan refugee camps, where people have already died of exposure this winter.

"We cant undo the torture that these animals endured, but we can bring a little warmth to people in dire need," says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. "Only people truly struggling to survive have any excuse for wearing fur."

Former fur-wearers can clean their closets and their consciences by calling PETAs fur-donation hotline at 1-888-FUR-AWAY or by visiting PETAs Web site FurIsDead.com.

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