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The harvest
of the animals has changed as much as the architecture of the ranch.
The euthenizing of the animals is now much more humane with the use
of electric shock in stark contrast to the barbaric ways in the past.
Also the drying of the pelts have changed with innovations in the pelting
board. Early boards had the pelts air dry with the fur turned in. Modern
boards are slotted to allow air to be forced into the inside of the
pelt meaning that it doesn’t need to be inverted to dry. The major
difference in the harvest, is that today are no lines of people waiting
to buy pelts as soon as they are ready for market.
This lack of a market for the pelts has drastically changed the social aspects of the industry. The fox industry is no longer the cash cow that it once was. There is no longer a demand for the product, so in turn there is no longer a demand for the breeding stock. With nowhere to sell the pelts, the industry is a dying legend that has left behind a vast amount of material history with its architecture and memorabilia. The movement in the fox industry is no longer to expand and make money; it is now to preserve its memory. Many ranchers who had careers in the industry are spending their retirements promoting museums and commemorations. The spinoff industries that once helped with the distribution of the industry’s wealth are mere memories that are kept alive only by the old advertisements and the farmers that fondly remember them. Many Islanders think the fox industry was made obsolete by animal rights and changes in fashion trends. Society views the fox men as a dying breed who have passed on a knowledge that is most useful in the annals of history, as a reminder of the great days that did so much to build and maintain the fragile economy and immense pride that is such an intricate part of Canada’s smallest province. |
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