Following an article published today in the Greenwich Times (Fur flies over charity fund-raiser”, Nov. 9), Missionaries on Call, Inc. cancelled a fundraiser involving the selling of fur coats at a posh seaside hotel. The charity had planned to sell furs from wholesaler P.K. Imports with the hopes of raising $10,000.

A second organization in the news for using furs as a charity draw is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). (Fur flies as animal-rights group gives used coats to Detroit homeless, Nov. 9)

Ironically, after PETA attracted women with full-length mink coats, fox jackets, and rabbit fur wraps, a PETA spokesperson rebuked Missionaries on Call, saying, “It’s pretty unfortunate that an organization that seems to want to reduce suffering in the world would seem to support the suffering of millions of animals in the fur trade.”

Although PETA’s furs may not come from wholesalers, fur is fur. Unfortunately, it is women that are being manipulated into wearing fur. “Fur has become fashionable again and women will wear anything that’s fashionable,” said Richard D. North, an economic expert who defends the global fur industry in an article that explains how new fur, fur dusted off from the attic, and even fake fur are part of the trend that signals a revival of fur.