Today, there are many other ways in which we maximize benefit from these by-products. Hides become clothing, feathers become quilts, bones become glue. And muscle and internal organs become feed for carnivorous livestock in zoos, circuses, marine parks, fish and fur farms. Mink consume over 20 times their body weight annually, foxes consume 35 times their body weight. In turn, these mink and fox, domesticated carnivores raised on hundreds of farms in over 30 US states, produce a biodegradable clothing product, fine oils and organic fertilizers for crops.
Nothing is wasted.
On this particular day, Holt leads the tour group past loading docks filled with trucks delivering fishmeal, liver, poultry and expired cheeses from as far away as Alaska, Texas and Wisconsin. A recent delivery of expired eggs lines the walls as forklift operators stack this terrific source of protein into the Co-op's giant refrigeration room. But large, centralized recyclers like the Co-op are unusual in the fur industry. Most fur farmers collect the by-products themselves, personally visiting egg farms, packing plants and slaughterhouses around their county. They then mix the materials themselves, carefully measuring the protein, fat and ash content to ensure their animals receive proper nutrition.