POLAND, 12 SEPTEMBER 2016 – After a recent veterinary inspection a gravely injured silver fox was taken away from a Polish fur farm in Chodzież. The rescued fox, named Ferdinand, was examined by University Centre of Veterinary Medicine clinic in Poznań and found to suffer from grave skin problems and serious injuries. In an unexpected turn of events, the Poznań zoo – appalled to hear about Ferdinand’s condition –  offered to adopt the injured fox and take care of him for the rest of his life.

Watch the rescue operation by Fur Free Alliance member Otwarte Klatki here:

Exactly one year ago, in a similar rescue operation, Otwarte Klatki intervened when they found two extremely wounded young fox cubs during an inspection on a fur farm.  The fox cubs, named Hansel and Gretel, were hardly two months old and were both missing limbs. Injuries are unfortunately commonplace on fur farms. Animals kept on fur farms are wild predators and keeping them in small, wire mesh cages results in a number of stress-related health problems – as infected wounds, self-mutilation, bent feet and eye infections.

Similar to fur from Scandinavian and American fur farms, fur from Polish fur farms is sold as Origin Assured fur, a certificate that is supposed to reassure consumers about animal welfare regulations being in place. Fact is, Origin Assured does not give any guarantees regarding the standard of animal welfare on fur farms. After inspection it became clear that the fur farm in Chodzież was not even registered.

Watch more videos about Hansel and Gretel here: