Environmental activists are demanding that Colorado Parks and Wildlife prohibit the commercial sale of wildlife furs, filing a citizen rulemaking petition urging swift action on Monday.
Contrary to the vast protections granted by Colorado to other animals, the Centennial State currently allows the for-profit sale of furs from all species deemed “furbearers,” according to the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the petition.
Among the state’s furbearers are beavers, ringtails, red foxes, pine martens and bobcats, as well as swift foxes, which is a species of special concern in the state, the group noted.
“Auctioning off piles of pelts from native animals is a relic of an era that drove iconic species, like beavers and bison, to the brink,” Samantha Miller, senior carnivore campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
Miller emphasized the need for Colorado to align with the policies of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation — a set of principles that many agencies use to guide their wildlife management and conservation protocols.
One key tenet of this model is the prohibition of commercial sales of wildlife, as such practices have hastened the declines and even extinctions of iconic species, the organization warned.
Although the petition calls for the elimination of wildlife fur commercialization, it does include some exceptions for hand-tied fishing flies crafted with incidental fur and for traditional Western felted hats, in recognition of the cultural importance of these items.
The petition also does not affect sales at stores that sell products with factory-farmed fur, as opposed to that of animals in the wild.
“Our state needs to modernize wildlife management to confront today’s biodiversity crisis,” Miller said.
Advancing a state-wide regulation, as opposed to targeted local policies, would ensure uniformity and avoid the creation of a “patchwork” of ordinances that cause enforcement difficulties, according to the petition.
The document also stressed that a ban on commercial fur sales would remain “consistent with the big game commercial hunting ban” upheld by Colorado, where it is a felony to sell or purchase big game.
After receiving the petition, Colorado Parks and Wildlife then must review the document and recommend to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission — the decisionmaker on citizen rulemaking petitions — whether the request should be denied or granted.
The Hill has reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for comment.
