Fake fur on coats revealed to be real

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The Humane Society of the United States warned consumers that what they believe is fake fur on their winter coats may be real.

"Consumers just don't have any idea what they're getting," Executive Vice President of the Humane Society Michael Markarian told The Washington Post. "Sometimes they're told that it's fake fur and often it's real animal fur ripped and peeled off the backs of animals."

After a two-year investigation, testing fur labeled as fake, the Humane Society is alerting retailers about the situation. Burberry parkas sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, labeled as including a "faux fur collar," were discovered to be mislabeled, as were coats sold by Burlington Coat Factory and Bloomingdale's.

Most retailers are puling the coats from the shelves. Saks removed the Burberry parkas from their Web site, a company spokesman told the Post.

Several of the mislabeled coats originated in China. Using dog or cat fur is illegal in the United States but the fur of a breed of dog called the raccoon dog has been found on some Chinese coats, the report said.