Today, I asked my mother to retrieve the fur hats and fur stoles that my beloved grandmother, Carol Adler, had in her Bronx apartment, so we could add them to Born Free USA’s “Fur for the Animals” drive. We will donate all of the furs we acquire to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centers around the country to provide orphaned animals with a comforting bed to envelop them as they heal, revive, and, ultimately, regain enough strength to be returned to the wild—where they belong. [teaserbreak]
My grandmother was an inspiration, an animal lover, and a huge supporter of my work to save animals. She had those old furs for I don’t know how many years, and I was most pleased that they were uncovered from the furthest reaches of her closet: items she hadn’t worn in ages, especially after following Born Free USA’s campaigns against wildlife trapping and the fur trade.
So many people have animal artifacts with which they would like to part: fur, ivory, shells, skins, etc. For some items, such as ivory, destruction and permanent removal is the best answer. For others, like these furs that Born Free USA is collecting, we can actually re-purpose them in a beneficial way: a way that gives something back to animals in need.
My grandmother passed away nearly a decade ago. And, my grandfather, 93, cannot live alone any longer. As a result, my mom and I are working to pack up his apartment and decide what to do with a lifetime of personal acquisitions and family heirlooms. While that process is surely a laborious and devastatingly sad one, I’m delighted that, for some items, like my grandmother’s furs, I can do something that would make her proud—and bring a smile to my face in an otherwise challenging time.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Adam