Have you got a licence for your Sporran Sir?

[IsaacW]

It goes with the sporran.

Nope, that cap is a different clan... OOoooo.... he is mixing clans!

[creagdhubh]

Hahahahaha!!! Good stuff, gents.

[Manxstralian]

I'm all for protecting ALL the native species, it will be a very dull world if they are all hunted or killed to extinction. But I've no qualms about exterminating the imported species, which should provide all the fur we need for our sporrans or whatever. That said, a cane toad sporran might be a hard sell!

When I was a child I lived in Far North Queensland, and I did see cane toad leather handbags and wallets etc...Up north cane toads are enormous and in plague proportions, so it seems feasible.
The skin is actually quite nice when tanned, though I wouldn't want to be the one to skin and tan the disgusting creatures.

Cheers,

Cameron

[Aussie_Don]

I think I could sport this. If I had to.

That has got to be one of the ugliest sporrans that I've ever seen.


-Don

[TheOfficialBren]

I dunno, Aussie_Don...the Zebra-Chupacabra looking one posted a couple of months back was pretty scary! I'd be afraid to wear that one for fear that it might spring to life with a vendetta! Haha. It was posted by someone here who was hunting on E-Bay and came across it.

[Nathan]

Something to do with the indigenous population and subsequent loss of annual income, so I've been told.

I hope I can share this perspective as it relates to seal fur/sporrans without crossing the line into the political. Mods, if I cross the line, I give you permission to delete the post and extend my apology.

Still, I think it's relevant to the current discussion so... if anyone is interested, the reasons many in Canada are against a global ban on seal fur are as follows:

1) Our country was built on the fur trade.
2) Seals, especially harp seals, are abundant and not endangered.
3) The Inuit and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have maintained a sustainable seal harvest for centuries.
4) They don't just harvest fur, they eat the meat and use the fat for oil.
5) The seals are voracious eaters and very successful breeders. Since there are fewer predators (especially sharks), the seal population balloons and has a serious impact on the other fish stocks. Even if the fur is wasted, a cull (official or not) would happen.
6) The clubbed baby seal video and pictures seen so often that points to the cruelty of the seal harvest is from the 1970s and the seal fishery claims that the modern practice is much more humane than frequently depicted.
7) The fact that they're cute, especially when they're pups, doesn't outweigh these other facts to the people that depend on this industry for sustenance.

To be clear, I believe in responsible resource management and the protection of endangered species and environmental conservation but I think this is one of those cases where the popular portrayal of a practice and the reality are miles apart.

Just an Atlantic Canadian perspective on the source of our shiny fur purses.

[Chas]

I do not disagree, Nathan, not at all.

[Liam]

I hope I can share this perspective as it relates to seal fur/sporrans without crossing the line into the political. Mods, if I cross the line, I give you permission to delete the post and extend my apology.

Still, I think it's relevant to the current discussion so... if anyone is interested, the reasons many in Canada are against a global ban on seal fur are as follows:

1) Our country was built on the fur trade.
2) Seals, especially harp seals, are abundant and not endangered.
3) The Inuit and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have maintained a sustainable seal harvest for centuries.
4) They don't just harvest fur, they eat the meat and use the fat for oil.
5) The seals are voracious eaters and very successful breeders. Since there are fewer predators (especially sharks), the seal population balloons and has a serious impact on the other fish stocks. Even if the fur is wasted, a cull (official or not) would happen.
6) The clubbed baby seal video and pictures seen so often that points to the cruelty of the seal harvest is from the 1970s and the seal fishery claims that the modern practice is much more humane than frequently depicted.
7) The fact that they're cute, especially when they're pups, doesn't outweigh these other facts to the people that depend on this industry for sustenance.

To be clear, I believe in responsible resource management and the protection of endangered species and environmental conservation but I think this is one of those cases where the popular portrayal of a practice and the reality are miles apart.

Just an Atlantic Canadian perspective on the source of our shiny fur purses.

It is unfortunate that the "cute" factor has influenced the situation. I know a number of folks that won't eat lamb, veal or rabbit for exactly this reason.

[IsaacW]

It is unfortunate that the "cute" factor has influenced the situation. I know a number of folks that won't eat lamb, veal or rabbit for exactly this reason.

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”

― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

[ASinclair]

It is unfortunate that the "cute" factor has influenced the situation. I know a number of folks that won't eat lamb, veal or rabbit for exactly this reason.

And venison, as well, giving rise to the term 'Bambi complex'.

(If I stumbled over any rules, I apologize and Mods please delete this post.)