Activist Slams Weir for Use of Fur

An animal rights group has sent an open letter to figure skater Johnny Weir because of his use of fur in his costumes.

"Please consider that there's nothing pretty about the fox that suffered and died to trim your outfit," Priscilla Feral, president of the Friends of Animals, wrote on Wednesday. "The beautiful fox was likely anally electrocuted, or may have had its head bashed in, only to serve as decoration for someone's performance."

Weir qualified to represent the United States in the Olympics after placing third in the national Figure Skating Championships last weekend, where he wore a black and white outfit with fox fur on the shoulders.

Feral also said that while some believe that wearing fur is a "personal choice," she cautioned that Weir should realize that fur doesn't "magically slide off these beautiful beings. Their nightmare begins in the cramped cages they spend their lives in."

She urged Weir to stop wearing fur, because, in the end, "nobody cares what a figure skater wears. You will only be judge on your performance and the strength of your character."

Friends of Animals is a nonprofit organization that focuses on international animal advocacy.