#fox tail

THERE IS ONLY ONE THING I CELEBRATE ON FRIDAYS AND THAT BE FLOOFY TAILS!!!!

Recently, I purchased a taxidermy fox tail through an Etsy seller. I did my research and believed I was purchasing a tail from a reputable seller who ethically sourced them, but I was perhaps mistaken.

I don’t have exact proof that they’re unethically sourced (and I’m not saying the seller is lying maliciously, maybe just misinformed themselves), but I have evidence for suspicion:

The tails have a “golden lobster clip”, which is apparently indicative of them coming from fast-fashion fur farms in China (but I have a feeling some of that suspicion could be xenophobia bc literally anyone can put a golden lobster clip on a tail soo… take that with a grain of salt). The animal cruelty laws do not prevent this kind of treatment of animals there, but anywhere in the world you can find cruel treatment of animals, so it’s not like this is a China-specific problem

The color morph is only found in ranch foxes because it is not a natural color (I suppose I was not educated enough on proper fox coat colors prior to this)

The fur is apparently unhealthy, pointing to poor living conditions– and the tail is short, meaning the fox may not have even been fully grown

Most, if not all tails or pelts sourced from “ethical ranches” may have unethical practices in actuality that operate in legal gray areas. Always consult/buy from taxidermy specialists

Even if a seller says it’s ethical and gives you supposed information, always double confirm. Right now, I am currently (politely) investigating the seller’s source more in-depth and asking them more questions.

Sometimes even a lot of research isn’t enough. If you are considering getting a taxidermy tail, please stay educated, vigilant, and shop local. Learn about the color morphs of the animal and which ones are seen in farms vs the wild.

And above all else, even if you realize that you’re in a similar situation as me, take care of the tail, cherish it, use it for as long as possible, honor the life of the theriform animal that it belonged to, and just do better in the future. Mistakes happen, and I am very much ridden with guilt at this fact, but we can do more as a community to educate others.