PETA targets Alberta coyote trappers with Canada Goose protest

If you were on Calgary's Stephen Avenue around lunchtime on Wednesday, you might have gotten an eyeful.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, had a graphic protest involving a woman representing a coyote struggling to get out of a trap, complete with fake blood.

"The body-painted volunteer is struggling in the trap with fake blood, to represent the pain and also the terror that these animals go through," campaigner Emily Lavender told CBC News.

"Some are mothers who will attempt to chew off their own limbs in order to free themselves and get back to their young. There is just no excuse for it. It is such an unnecessary thing and these animals have to suffer for it."

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She says while the theatrical protest is aimed at Canada Goose, Alberta coyote trappers are also part of the problem as they supply the Toronto-based winter clothing manufacturer with fur. The company recently opened a Calgary store.

Bill Abercrombie of the Alberta Trappers' Association disputes that fact and others.

"Ninety per cent if the coyotes that are caught in Alberta are caught in humane killing traps and not in restraining traps," Abercrombie told the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday.

"The animal might be in some distress initially, but because it's not undergoing any real physical pain, it is only being restrained, the animal quiets down. The last thing its wants to do is attract attention to itself."

'No need for it'

Lavender says the protest is to get people thinking about their clothing options.

"We are asking to people to please not buy a Canada Goose jacket and are calling on the company to drop the fur trim and the down filling," Lavender said.

"There is no need for it and there are so many more superior insulating methods that keep you warm but don't involve killing animals for it."

Company 'committed to responsible use, ethical sourcing'

The company claims real fur helps better protect skin from frostbite. It also says it doesn't condone "any willful mistreatment" of animals and buys only from licensed trappers.

"Canada Goose remains deeply committed to the responsible use and ethical sourcing of all animal materials," said spokesman Josh Zeliger in an email to CBC News last year.

Abercrombie says there are misconceptions about the work of the 2,000 to 3,000 trappers in the province.

Harvesting necessary

He says the volume of coyotes in the province, in rural, agricultural and urban areas, makes harvesting them necessary for profit and safety.

"We have to do it anyway, regardless of whether we are trapping for fur or we are dealing with them as predators or a high risk to people and their pets," he said.

Abercrombie disputes PETA's claims that coyotes are trapped during breeding season and adds the animals do not suffer.

"They are not struggling and biting and creating a big ruckus at all. It is the opposite," he said.

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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener and CBC's Monty Kruger