Activists ask shoppers to choose compassion over cruelty:

WHEN: Friday November 27, 2009, 11:30 A.M. - 1 P.M. # Rain or Shine.

WHERE: 343 Gorham Road, in front of Dino International Furs, South Portland, Maine (Corner of Foden Road & Gorham Road at the Cornerbrook Shopping Center). Activists will gather on the public sidewalk.

WHAT: Holding signs that read, "Your Fur Had a Face" next to pictures of skinned animals, animal advocates from Maine Friends of Animals and Maine Animal Coalition will expose the cruelty of the fur industry at this international protest event the day after Thanksgiving. Activists all around the world are calling upon shoppers to cross animal skins off their lists for good this Fur Free Friday.

"We are asking everyone to choose compassion over cruelty," says Maine Friends of Animals Board Member, Melissa Gates. "With all the luxurious alternatives available, there is absolutely no excuse to contribute to the extreme cruelty of the fur industry by purchasing or wearing furs."

What is wrong with fur? Frightened animals trapped for fur suffer excruciating pain, often for days, before having their chests crushed or their necks snapped by trappers, who often kill snared animals by jumping up and down on them. Beavers caught in underwater traps struggle frantically for up to 20 minutes before drowning. On factory fur farms, animals spend their lives in tiny, filthy cages, where they suffer physical and psychological distress before being killed by poisoning, gassing, anal electrocution, or neck breaking. This is unacceptable.

Fur Free Friday, an annual event that takes place the Friday after Thanksgiving, aims to educate people about the horrors suffered by fur-bearing animals. Organized originally in 1986 by grassroots activists to abolish the fur trade, Fur Free Friday has grown to be one of the most widely attended annual demonstrations of the animal rights movement. Through protests, education, and the promotion of cruelty-free fashion, Fur Free Friday gives a voice to the millions of animals who suffer and die at the hands of this cruel industry each year.

For more information, please visit FurisDead.com