Zulu’s urged to switch to fake fur
When one thinks of people wearing fur it’s more the glamorous Hollywood types and the rest of the glitteratzi that come to mind. Perhaps the last image one has is that of South Africa’s Zulus and how their traditional dress could be threatening the big cats.
Here’s the interesting Newser summary:
A leopard can’t change its spots, but can South Africa’s Zulus trade their traditional leopard-pelt adornments for a cheap knockoff? For the sake of protecting the country’s dwindling population of the big cats, conservation biologist Tristan Dickerson hopes they can. Dickerson has created a fake version he says is as good as the real thing—only cheaper and machine-washable. He is close to finalizing a deal with the 5.6 million-strong Nazareth Baptist Church, which blends Christian and Zulu traditions, the Independent reports.
“I have used digital photography and imaging to produce an exact synthetic replica of a leopard-skin stole with all the dots in the right place,” says Dickerson, who leads the world’s biggest study of leopards. But he faces an uphill battle, he says, as leaders including President Jacob Zuma encourage the tradition by wearing real furs. “On the same day as Prince Charles visited a black rhino conservation project, he did not seem to bat an eyelid in the face of all the poached leopard skin he saw at the king’s palace,” Dickerson says.
What are your thoughts on the latest efforts to convince South Africans to stop using real fur?