Exotic Ethics?

[badLoveLeather]

I use a lot of exotic skins in my work. It was how i was taught. I appreciate all the crazy skins I work with and most of what i work with is farmed just like cow hide. One skin that is not is Elephant. These days I have a source that allows me to buy it and quite frankly its commin out my ears. I've always been taught and educated that Elephants are in use all over the world. They work in India. They work in Circus' and they are in Zoos as well. Sooner or later the die. some of the skins I get somes from these situations. Some of them are "Culled". Culling is the process of thinning a herd to allow the rest of the herd to survive and thrive. its selectivly done. All of the skins I buy have CITES tags and its all above board and legal. Besides the Elephant Skin is some of the more amazing leather I've been getting. The grain and character on it is like no other.

I'm detailin this because I got some crap from someone sensative to the issue the other day. I tried my best to help them understand that I do use every last bit of skin I get. I also explained the above and tried to help them understand that using the skins makes whole use of the animal.

Funny I never get this type of bleeding heart stuff about Aligators, Stingray or Shark. Or even Ostrich for that matter. AND no ever cries for the frogs i use too. Why?

I have a certain ethic about what I do and it keeps me good. I'm not making wallets outa Seals, Bald Eagles or your dog for that matter.

Any thoughts from the Senior Members here?

[Hilly]

I'm not a senior member, so my opinion may not count but....

I don't have any problem whatsoever with exotics which are legally and humanely dispatched. I just hope that the rest of the animal is used in some way, and not just left for the buzzards.

I would some day, like to try my hand at using some elephant or hippo skin in my work.

Don't let the "anti's" bother you. Opinions are like noses (insert body part here).... everyone has one.

[Windy]

Well I am not a senior member but if you continue

to read you will read my take on this subject.

I too love using exotic skins in leather work

and exotic woods in my wood working. Shucks

I just like exotic things. Anywho way back about

twenty years or so I made a cue case for myself

from python and cobra. The first night I took it

out with me, this huge monster of a man walked

up to me and ask if it was real snake skin. I told

him yes and which snakes I used. He looked down

at me and said he owned snakes and could never

have anything made from snake skin. I smiled as I

looked at him and told him, I too owned a snake

and I had no problem with making things from snake

skins. The point is no matter what material you

choose for your projects if you travel long and

far enough you will run into someone who has a

problem with your choice. You handled the situation

better than most. I can not help but think of poor

old Pam Anderson who complains constantly of

the chickens killed by KFC everyday. Yet she never

thought twice about taking the life of the poor

silicones so that she could have larger breasts.

Be thankful you did not run into one of the real

kooks who throw blood on people who wear leather

and fur coats at the fashion shows.

WINDY...user of exotic skins in non exotic ways.

[UKRay]

Any thoughts from the Senior Members here?

If senior member means 'old fart' then I guess I qualify... this is also one of my favorite rants!

You can't open a 'liberal' newspaper these days without falling over someone griping about the use of animal skin/fur/teeth or the killing of any/some/all kinds of animal. (IMHO the complainers are generally the ones who would also like to see the gun laws tightened up even further to a point where gun ownership is nigh on impossible and all kinds of hunting and fishing are under threat - I live in the UK where this has actually happened).

In my experience, these same complainers still eat meat, would kill a non-poisonous snake if they found it in their bed/shoe/wherever, swat and zap harmless bugs indescriminately (who knows what species they just wiped out?) and wear or use high quality leather shoes, belts and bags in preference to plastic. I accept some may claim to be card carrying vegetarians/vegans/pale looking weirdos but they are almost all prepared to kill if sufficiently hacked off (think 'wasp in a small room').

Reality is not generally on the complainer's agenda as it gets in the way of tunnel vision idealism.

IMHO, this issue is not necessarily about the actual physical demise of an animal and the use of its skin to make leather it is really about the death of Dumbo, Bugs Bunny or Bambi. Most animals have been anthropomorphosized to such a point that some people fail to recognise the difference between reality and Disney. You wouldn't make a Dumbo-skin briefcase would you?

I'm not sure that I wholly agree that simply looking for a Cites tag is enough to protect an endangered species, but then again, most of us don't want to use leather from endangered species anyway so the Cites tag is a darn good start. If you have any suspicion that the skin you have been offered is from an endangered species then check out this website: http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.shtml where you will also find out how to report a breach of the code.

Personally I work almost exclusively with cowskin, sheepskin or goatskin, but in my mind there is absolutely no difference between farmed ostrich, farmed crocodile or farmed cow when it comes to ethical use of the leather. I absolutely draw the line at using the skins of creatures that have been identified as being at risk unless they are killed as part of a controlled and regulated cull and/or come from a CITES approved source.

I have also gone on far too long... I'll shut up now!

Edited September 30, 2008 by UKRay

[JRedding]

I must be good at ignoring the kooks and the things they do, I've never heard of throwing blood on people. You'd think there would be something in the anti- handbook about using real blood.

[sodapop]

why you especially got flack over the elephant...is due for the fact that they are highly intelligent and very social/bonding creatures among other attributes they do have...much like our own in many ways...they aren't on the same intellect & social levels...as reptiles, birds and fish etc...very similar human qualities and traits is the main reason...cuz its true if you have done your research on them...

in a sense it would be like using chimpanzee or gorilla...elephants are not any different really...

personally...nope i wouldn't use elephant ever...for the reasons in the above points i made...believe them or not...even if the elephants were farmed...it is a moral thing for me...and i'm far from a PETArd ;0)

but other animals that are farmed...yes indeed i'll use them =0)

darryl

Edited September 30, 2008 by sodapop

[Billy P]

While I've never used the exotics, never had the call for them or the money to buy them, just to make whatever with. However I would not have a problem using them or don't mind anyone else using them as long as they are legally harvested. I have a lot more of a problem with the snake roundup's in the South West than I do with you using the Elephant hide or gator, croc, ostrich, or whatever. I harvest some Eastern Diamondback Rattlers at times, but only one or two at a time. I won't even make a belt with the ones that I get. It takes too much skin and I can make belt buckles and small cases and make more on the same amount of hide. I used to fish a lot of Bass tournaments with out club at work, and at some of the bigger lakes we fished there might be 4 or 5 tournaments going out of the same landing. Sometimes there would be tree huggers and pita's there in a fish costume, we mostly ignored them if we could, but when they started getting close to us we would tell them to back off and leave us alone. Down here in my part of South Carolina there was a law for a while about hunting White-tail deer, no does and only Bucks of a certain size. Now they are everywhere and are getting stunted because of not enough feed for them all. Another thing is there are probably 15 or20 cars right here in my small home town that hit deer and kill them every year. Anyway my thing is use it if you got it and if they don't like it screw em. Just my .01 worth. Billy P

[badLoveLeather]

I wanna wear a Fish Costume. What that has to do with the topic, nothing. Just throwin it out there.

[UKRay]

I wanna wear a Fish Costume. What that has to do with the topic, nothing. Just throwin it out there.

Then you just go right out there and do it!

[Drac]

if you can get the material (legally), use it. if you don't, then someone else will, and they might not make something of quality with it.