What is fur
and where does it come from?
Fur is the
thick growth of hair that covers the skin of many
kinds of animals. People make coats and other warm
clothing from fur. They value fur for its beauty as
well as for the warmth it provides.
Fur consists
of a combination of stiff, oily guard hair on
top and thick underfur beneath. The guard
hair sheds moisture, and the underfur acts as an
insulating blanket that keeps the animal warm.
Because fur
comes from wild animals, it cannot be flawless like
cloth, which is manufactured from fibers. The work
involved in repairing imperfect pelts and then
sewing them together into clothing contributes to
the high cost of fur garments. In some years, the
scarcity of fur-bearing animals makes prices rise
even higher.
Fur that
comes from animals is called natural fur.
Natural furs account for about 99 percent of the
dollar value of fur garment sales in North America.
Manufacturers also produce artificial fur,
which looks like many kinds of fashionable natural
furs but costs far less and is not as warm.
From the
beginning of time people wore animal skins for
warmth and protection. They also used skins for
blankets, rugs, and wall hangings. During the 400's
B.C., an active fur market operated in Athens,
Greece. Fur became a luxury during medieval times,
when only kings and princes wore such extremely
expensive furs as ermine and sable.
The desire
for furs stimulated much of the early exploration of
North America. In the 1600's, fur trading became the
most important industry in Canada.
Today, the
fur industry plays an important role in the
economies of many nations. More than half of the
world's fur supply comes from fur ranches, where
fur-bearing animals are raised in pens. The rest of
the fur comes from trapping wild animals.
During the
late 1970's to early 1980's, Russia produced more
fur than any other nation. The United States ranked
as the second largest producer, followed by Canada.
The fur garments produced annually in the United
States had a total wholesale value of about $400
million. The wholesale value of Canadian fur garment
production exceeded $150 million annually. Both the
United States and Canada exported millions of
dollars Worth of fur pelts yearly. Major importers
of fur include France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy,
Japan, Switzerland, the United States and Germany.
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Animal and fur description
