'You shall not murder'

Mighty Trapper used a few snare traps and a couple of dozen coil spring traps. “Most animals suffer from a few hours to a few days,” says Pierre Grzybowski of the Humane Society of the United States. The animals often die from hypothermia, strangulation, shock, or from inability to flee predators.

Although several trapper codes of ethics suggest that traps be checked regularly, and several states require trappers to check their lines daily, Alaska has no such requirement. Animals that are still alive, even if only barely at the time trappers return, are killed by being choked, clubbed, or shot in the head. The carcasses are often thrown out as trash, the fur usually sent to auction houses.

In the March 2008 auctions, the two largest fur auction houses sold about 5,000 lynx pelts, each for about $300. The pelts of most other animals sold for under $40 each, many for under $10 each. The house takes a 9-11 per cent commission. Although prices were higher this year because of extraordinarily cold weather in northern China and Russia, thus causing fewer animals to be killed, “Only a tiny minority trap full-time and can make money from it,” says Grzybowski. The money most trappers receive from auction “barely covers the cost of gasoline and the cost of traps”. Most trappers, says Grzybowski, “do it solely for the recreation, and nothing else”.

About 40 per cent of the 500 bidders at the North American Fur Auctions sale were from China, according to data provided by NAFA, one of the two houses. Most of the other bidders came from Russia, Greece, and Turkey. But, the coats don’t stay in those countries; they are designed, sewn, and shipped into the United States and other countries where the rich can parade their affluence.

The fashion industry is what drives the trapping and sale of fur. Faux fur, synthetic fur, looks almost exactly like real fur, is just as warm as real fur - and is significantly cheaper. One or two lynx pelts are necessary for a coat trimmed in fur. Full-length lynx coats, which might be made from as many as 15 pelts, sell for $7,500–$20,000; a few sell for as much as $50,000. Jackets sell for about $5,000. Although most trappers are men, women are the primary buyers of fur-trimmed and full fur coats. “It’s a status thing,” says Grzybowski, “they want to wear real fur. They want to show off.”

A Saks Fifth Avenue full-colour catalogue in October 2007 told its customers, “This season, fur takes on so many imaginative shapes - Discover it all at the Saks Fur Salon.”

One of those shapes at the Salon was an $8,000 woman’s jacket “with brightener-added lynx trim,” available for a sale price of $5,600. Among other chain stores that sell real fur are Burlington Coat Factory, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, and Nordstrom. Lynx hats, jackets, and other clothing items regularly appear on amazon.com, eBay, and dozens of online stores. However, more than 100 major designers and chain stores - including Calvin Klein, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Lands’ End, J. Crew, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle, and Gap - refuse to work with or distribute real fur.

Mighty Trapper says he plans to return to Alaska in two years when both the rabbit and lynx population are expected to be at a 30-year peak. But, the increased population of the lynx and the possibility that the fashion industry may find other animals to exploit will probably lead to lower prices at the March auctions. It may not matter, anyhow. Mighty didn’t even sell the pelts. He had two of them tanned, and the other one, the one of the largest lynx, sent to his home, eventually to be stuffed and mounted - a trophy of a murder.

As for the newspaper? If Mighty returns to Alaska, it’ll probably run another story and picture of him and an animal he killed. Almost every day during the Christmas season, the newspaper prints several pictures of orange-clad hunters and their deer and black bear. During other times, there’s likely to be pictures of hunters and almost every fur-bearing animal in the region, including bobcats and coyotes, neither of which is edible, neither of which threatens humans.

The editor’s attitude to those readers who complain in this highly religious rural area where boys and girls grow up with guns and legally begin killing animals at the age of 12 is, “If you don’t like it, turn the page”.

Perhaps some day Americans, including the politician/trapper who claims to be religious, will turn the page on violence and actually follow the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not murder”.