About Us
Statement about the Ethical Sourcing of Animal Products
We have had requests for information from individuals and various organizations regarding the ethical sourcing of our animal products.
We understand the concerns about working with ethical suppliers and do our best to meet the requirements of our customers.
We deal with many movie companies around the world and must adhere to their strict regulations concerning the ethical sourcing of any animal products they buy from us. We do not raise or kill or capture any of the animals for animal products we supply to them specifically for use in their movies. They do not want to put in an order for an item and then have someone go kill an animal in order to fill the order.
We buy from hundreds of suppliers in the U.S., Canada, and around the world and work closely with them to ensure that they meet our requirements for the ethical treatment of animals as well.
The largest volume of our products are byproducts of the food industry. For example, in Europe rabbits are raised for food and then the skins are a byproduct that are then tanned and used instead of being thrown out. (Under the Communist era, anyone who wanted meat often raised rabbits in the backyard. We will probably be raising rabbits and chickens in our backyards here soon!) I have toured rabbit farms and slaughterhouses in Europe and have seen how the animals are treated. Our suppliers there comply with very strict EU regulations concerning the ethical treatment of animals.
Fish, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, boars, bison, water buffalos, cows, goats, and sheep are also raised for food as well and the skulls, bones, teeth, tails, and hides are then used instead of being thrown out.
The products from wild animals that we offer come from animals that were legally hunted, trapped, or culled. The majority of these are purchased in the regular course of our business, primarily from auction houses or fur and hide dealers. Some of the products we offer come from animals that have died a natural death, but our main source is not roadkill.
Rattlesnakes are hunted in the wild because people do not like their children, pets, or livestock getting bitten. The snakes are then killed and nearly everything is used, including the heads, fangs, skins, bones, meat, and venom to make anti-venom.
Other items, such as shed or dropped antlers, are shed in the normal life of deer, elk, or moose.
In short, we do not take orders and then have hunters go kill an animal for you.
If you have any other questions, please call us at 1.800.206.6544 or write to info@chichesterinc.com.
Thank you.
Paul Crosby
President
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