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A whistleblower who exposed horrific suffering on multiple Ontario fur farms faces a criminal trial in Kingston, Ontario on December 6. Malcolm Klimowicz was charged with break and enter earlier this year after visiting mink farms in Ontario and filming the disturbing conditions that he found there.
From June to August, 2017 Mr. Klimowicz, an animal activist and cofounder of KOALA, (Kitchener Ontario Animal Liberation Alliance) walked on to multiple mink farms and filmed the heartbreaking conditions that he found. He documented injured and dead minks confined in tiny, filthy wire cages, with piles of feces, puddles of urine, and crawling maggots. Minks were frequently overcrowded in the barren cages, and many suffered from open wounds and displayed repetitive behaviours that indicate severe psychological distress, a condition called zoochosis or captivity-induced insanity. “I took all this footage and I gave it to the police last year, hoping they would do something on behalf of the animals,” said Mr. Klimowicz. However, despite evidence of unimaginable cruelty in violation of federal and provincial laws, the fur farms escaped prosecution. The only charges laid were against Mr. Klimowicz himself. So far he has been charged with 3 counts of break and enter-criminal charges that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Prosecutors in Oshawa, Ontario have withdrawn the charge, however he still faces similar charges in Collingwood and Kingston.
Mr. Klimowicz has released the video footage in order to dispel any myths that the Canadian fur industry is in any way humane or that there is any form of government or industry overseeing animal welfare in Ontario. “I walked through swamps, hopped electric fences and barbed wire, hid from security guards, and was chased by attack dogs to obtain these videos. I even discovered a puppy mill.” said Mr. Klimowicz. “There have been no inspections of any fur farm in Ontario by any government agency in the past six years. When we approached government officials with concerns about animal welfare on these factory farms we were told there are NFACC (National Farm Animal Care Council) codes of practice in place to protect animals”.
Killing animals for their fur is considered controversial and ethically questionable. Many countries such as the UK, Austria, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia already have fur farm bans. In January 2018, Norway, once the world’s largest producer of fox pelts, decided to prohibit fur farming. The Netherlands, which is the EU’s second largest mink producer, passed a ban on fur farming and will phase-out mink production entirely by 2024. Many retailers and clothing designers including Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Armani, and Gucci have recently implemented fur free policies and have switched to using synthetic fur. In September 2018, London became the first of the main fashion weeks to ditch animal fur in its shows. Even fashion magazine, Instyle, went fur free in April, 2018. The majority of Canadians (over 66%) support a ban on fur farming and 95% demand better animal protection laws.
According to Canada’s leading advocate for animal protection, Animal Justice, “police and prosecutors frequently pursue animal advocates for exposing animal suffering while ignoring the crimes of the animal abusers, including Save Movement founder Anita Krajnc, acquitted of criminal mischief for giving water to thirsty pigs. The Krajnc trial made global headlines and exposed millions of people to meat industry cruelty. If the remaining charges against Mr. Klimowicz go to trial, the prosecution will undoubtedly have the same effect, increasing public awareness of horrific cruelty inherent in the Canadian fur industry”.
KOALA is part of a province wide coalition of groups and individuals fighting to ban fur farming in Ontario. Mr. Klimowicz is accepting contributions toward his legal defense. Supporters are invited to stay tuned for details on future court dates. He can be contacted at 226-929-1990 Email: groupinfo.koala@gmail.com. For more information, to view the video footage or for Canadians who wish to contact their MPP to voice their opinion, please visit http://www.thevillager.ca/fur-farm-cruelty
Release ID: 453480