Foxy solution?
Forbes Advocate, Page: 3. Thursday, 12 March, 2009
The Sporting Shooters ‘ Association of Australia (SSAA) has called on its members, fashion designers, retail stores and the government to promote European fox fur from Australia as an environmentally friendly fur alternative.
The association said the fox is one of the most destructive pest animals introduced into Australia.
The fox has had a detrimental impact on Australian wildlife since its introduction and will continue to decimate wildlife into the future until their numbers are reduced, the SSAA said.
The SSAA said fox pelts from both commercial and non-commercial fox hunters should be promoted in a fashion similar to Eco Fur ‘products in New Zealand.
New Zealand has major environmental problems due to the introduced Australian brush-tail possum.
Eco Fur ‘is promoted and supported by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and is also encouraged by many conservation groups including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
In Australia, research has shown that the fox normally consumes approximately 30 per cent wildlife in its diet and a single fox can consume about 40kg of small native animals per year.
The current fox population in Australia has been estimated at 7.2 million.
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