Respect for Animals has analysed the fur trade’s auction results for 2018 and can reveal the truly terrible toll of animal suffering.

Last year 30.5 million mink and fox skins were sold at the two main sets of auctions- Kopenhagen and SAGA. These pelts sold for $957.2 million. These figures give an idea of the scale of the industry but are far from the full picture.

In addition, it is estimated that 20.6 million mink, 14.1 million fox and 12. 4 million raccoon dogs are bred in China each year and our analysis of North American auctions reveals that the skins of some 2.4 million wild animals were also sold in 2018.

This gives a dreadful total of 80 million animals killed for no other reason than the fur off their backs.

This headline figure maks the individual suffering of the animals and the sheer callousness of this barbaric industry.

Among the trapping statistcs are the 203,465 coyotes killed, mostly to supply fur trim on garments such as those sold by the disgraceful Canada Goose as well as 475,710 raccoons and even 7,368 otters. Many of these are caught in steel-jawed leghold traps- banned in the UK for decades due to their inherent cruelty.