THE recent fashion show in Paris by Givenchy was outrageous even by fashion world's standards - bird skulls perched on models' shoulders, foxes heads turned into hats and even one hat containing a live canary fluttering in a cage.

Animals suffer unspeakable cruelty on fur-farms, confined year-round in crowded, filthy cages with little protection from the elements.

Foxes spend their lives in cages 2.5 feet square, with four to a cage. Minks' cages are one foot by three, again with up to four inside.

They suffer considerably from crowding and exhibit distress symptoms such as self-mutilation and circling constantly.

These animals are gassed, strangled or electrocuted and sympathy for them is virtually non-existent.

There is little, if any regulation of their capture and slaughter. It's astonishing how far a cruelty-riddled industry will go to the killing of helpless animals.

S BRENNAN, Bombay Street , Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.