Two theatre companies in southwestern Ontario have chosen to donate old fur garments from their collections following concerns raised by an animal rights organization. The Palace Theatre in London initially planned a flash fur sale to recycle old garments no longer needed for stage productions, mostly coming from estates. However, the sale idea was opposed by Jenny McQueen, co-founder of Animal Rights Toronto, who advocates against fur sales due to concerns about normalizing fur usage.
McQueen encourages people to donate old fur garments to her organization’s #ZipOffTheCruelty campaign instead of reselling them. The donated furs, including coats, hats, and trim pieces, are then passed on to animal rehabilitation groups for use as bedding, promoting animal welfare. A video shared by McQueen showing a fur hat used as bedding for baby squirrels at an Ontario rehabilitation center highlighted the comfort and warmth fur provides to orphaned animals.
The Palace Theatre and the Stratford Festival have both decided to donate fur coats from their wardrobe collections to Animal Rights Toronto instead of selling them. While some animal rehabilitation centers have used fur for bedding in the past, concerns about chemical treatments on vintage fur and the impracticality of washing it have led to a shift away from using fur in animal care.
Despite differing opinions on the use of fur in animal rehabilitation, the decision to donate fur garments to support animal welfare initiatives has gained support from various organizations and individuals, emphasizing the importance of ethical treatment of animals in the fashion and entertainment industries.