Local animal rights activists are calling it a victory after Grouse Mountain decided not to reorder winter jackets lined with real fur.
Activists with the Vancouver Animal Defense League say Grouse Mountain has removed all ‘cruel’ fur products from its retail operations immediately after they announced an anti-fur protest was being planned for January 7.
But Grouse Mountain told Global News they carry two clothing brands that each contained fur trim and sold extremely well. They say they are currently out of stock and do not anticipate a reorder this season.
“The extreme tactics of the Vancouver Animal Defense League were not a factor we considered in our decision-making and we stand by our conservation ethic,” says Jacqueline Blackwell with the mountain.
Protesters took issue with the mountain retailing jackets containing real fur, namely Canada Goose jackets, which the activists say bear the fur of trapped Canadian coyotes and Parajumpers jackets bearing the fur of live-skinned Asiatic raccoons.
“Grouse Mountain is a venue for nature appreciation, not a venue for nature abuse,” says Michael Brooks with the Vancouver Animal Defense League.
Brooks says they started their campaign to get Grouse to drop real fur products last October.
He says the mountain did not respond to their emails and phone calls.
Grouse Mountain confirmed to Global News they have not engaged with the activist group at any point.
On January 7, the League was planning to picket the parking lot at the base of the mountain to inform potential customers of the sale of real fur on the mountain.
The League claims on January 2 Grouse Mountain’s Guest Services informed them that they had received instructions to advise the public that there is now “no fur on the mountain.”
The next day, the activists verified in person that the store was in fact fur-free.
Still, the Vancouver Animal Defense League calls the mountain’s denial of the group’s role in their decision not to re-stock the jackets ‘preposterous.’
“Instantaneously upon receiving our news release, their guest services department changed their official line from ‘we carry ethical fur’ to ‘we are fur free’,” says Brooks. “There was an instantaneous and utter transformation in their communication with the public.”
The organization vows to keep monitoring Grouse Mountain on a weekly basis throughout the winter to ensure it stays fur free.
“If the fur ever returns, we will recommence the campaign and it will be approximately double the intensity of the campaign that we undertook this past fall.”
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