Needles Replace Fur in Chinese Campaign Against Fur Trade

To raise awareness in China about unethical fur farming practices, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia and Ogilvy & Mather, Beijing created a series of provocative art sculptures along with a social media campaign and website, entitled Fur Hurts.

O&M commissioned Chinese artist Xie Yong, Professor of the Shenyang University Art Department, and his students, to create a series of nine sculptures that portray the animals most threatened by China's fur trade, such as rabbits, minks and foxes. Instead of wearing their own fur, these animals are covered in coats of needles. The sculptures were exhibited at the Zhuozhan Shopping Center in Shenyang, situated in a cold northeastern province where demand for fur is highest. They were accompanied by a documentary showing animals being inhumanely kept and killed for their fur.

On the website, the animals have been recreated virtually alongside an online petition. Each pledge collected promises a needle's removal from the sculpture that is then replaced with a strand of fur. Participants are encouraged to share their pledges through social media such as Sina Weibo.