Furry Animals are All Right

"We can't protect animals just because they have big eyes," declares Kurt Oddekalv, leader of the Norwegian Conservation Association (Norges Miljøvernforbund). He thinks fur-bearing animals are so nice that they deserve to clothe the human body, and he endorses the new trend based on genuine furs, simply because they are more environmentally friendly. "I gave my wife a fur for Christmas. I had to choose between harp seal and arctic fox. I chose the fox. If I was to buy a fur for myself, I would have chosen one taken from a wild animal. A coyote would be great," says Oddekalv. "As far as private consumption is concerned, I would recommend animal furs rather than synthetic ones. Naturally enough we recommend Nature's own biodegradable commodities rather than artificial materials," asserts the controversial conservationist. "However, there are many fur farmers whose methods we cannot support," Oddekalv stresses.

Nuances
After a decade in which furs were more or less taboo, and fur wearers were considered the scum of the earth, the fur coat is now making a come-back, with the blessing of the conservationists! "As long as the animals are given better living conditions, we have nothing against furs," claims Oddekalv.
"You haven't always looked at it that way?"
"We are always quoted as saying what other parts of the environmental movement say. Just because Greenpeace opposes sealing, doesn't mean that Norges Miljøvernforbund does. There are a great deal of nuances that are not brought to light. In Solum, Sogn the place where I come from, seals represent a threat to the fish stocks. That's why I have recently applied for a seal culling licence ..." says Oddekalv, who naturally enough has a moral alibi up his sleeve:

Extremist behaviour
"It's six years since I asked the furriers in Bergen to discuss the way the branch treats their animals on a national basis. The fact that they have not managed to achieve order in their own ranks, is a major blunder on their part.
"But do you have any sympathy for animal protectionists taking action like the environmentalists do?"
"I think they exercise nothing more than extreme behaviour. They shoot completely wide of goal. I mean, they attack the butcher's shops and not industrial farming. We should have happy animals in this country. But we should not just have animals for their own sake, we must be allowed to harvest them, too," says Kurt Oddekalv.