Animals have fur because they need fur – humans don’t have fur because they don’t need fur

I’ve never understood the appeal of fur coats. I get that they keep you warm. Why else would man have gotten into the habit of trapping animals and taking their fur to make coats for themselves?

I’m no PETA member or a particularly animal rights conscious person, but I figure if man wasn’t able to survive in winter without his own fur covered skin man would have skin covered in thick fur at least in the winter months. Since it’s clear we can devise ways to keep ourselves warm without the need for any kind of fur, I don’t see the need to go to such extremes as to take the fur off other animals backs to make coats and other essentially unnecessary items for our own use.

Then when you factor in the reality behind fur coats, which isn’t one of favoring them for their capacity to keep the wearer warm, but owning them as symbols of status, it becomes even more difficult to justify the existence of a fur industry. Seriously, don’t the animals have any rights? Why is it okay to take from them what belongs to them just because they can’t take you to court and sue you?

Aside from the animal rights aspect I simply don’t find fur coats attractive. They make people look massive, misshapen and ridiculous.

Image: more fancy fur coats by echoforsberg via Flickr