No fur bearing species is endangered or threatened by trapping in Canada or the US today. Biological monitoring, controlled trapping seasons and other regulations ensure this. Moreover, international trade is also monitored, to ensure that no furs are used from species, which might be endangered in other countries.
This is responsible use of renewable natural resources. It abides by the principles of the World Conservation Strategy, developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.), with the United Nations and the World Wildlife Fund.
The fur trade is proud of its "wise use" of our natural environment; proud of a Canadian heritage that is truly in harmony with nature, and proud of the jobs and income provided for thousands of people, many in rural and remote areas where there often is little alternative employment.

Many of the furs used to produce garments are now farmed or ranched: mink, fox, chinchilla, sable, fitch, rabbit and lamb, among others.
These animals are exceptionally well cared for, and for a very good reason - the farmer's livelihood depends on it. As any pet owner knows, poor fur quality is one of the first indications that an animal is not receiving adequate nutrition and care.
For this reason, farmed furbearers are considered to be among the best cared for domestic animals in the world.
Fur farming also plays its part in maintaining the environment: the animals are generally fed by-products from agricultural and fishing industries (the same sources which provide pet food), and return organic fertilizers to the soil.
The conditions on fur farms are now coordinated by national "Codes of Practice" It should also be noted that farmed furbearers are not "wild" animals. Foxes have been ranched in Canada since the turn of the century (some eighty generations), while mink were being raised in the U. S. at the time of the American Civil War. Bred selectively, in precisely the same way our favourite dog breeds were developed, farmed mink are larger, have higher reproductive rates and distinctively different coloration that their wild cousins. And life on the fur farm is a far cry from life in the wild - where predators, disease and starvation are constant companions. It has been estimated that mink in the wild survive only two to three years. Mink on a farm can live eight years or longer.

The fur industry is involved in a variety of business activities that generate economic benefits for all segments of society. Furriers purchase raw materials, equipment and many types of services. Through these activities, the fur industry adds billions of dollars to fur and non-fur businesses, such as utilities, accounting and insurance firms, trucking and transportation industries. In 1990, the fur trade produced a total economic benefit of more than $4.4 billion and supported over 100,000 jobs.