THE FUR ANIMALS OF LOUISIANA 



The annual fur crop of Louisiana is worth six million 

 dollars and more to the trappers of the state. The 

 taking of fur animals for their pelts is one of the 

 more important vocations of many thousands of our citi- 

 zens during the winter months. The fur industry is a very 

 important one not alone to the trapper, buyer, dealer and 

 garment manufacturer but to those who wear furs. 



Unless the fur animals are rigidly conserved, unless 

 proper laws are enacted for their protection during the 

 reproduction periods of the year, unless suitable habitats 

 and marsh areas are preserved, unless those who take these 

 animals in their traps and those who deal in the pelt, recog- 

 nize the soundness of open and close seasons, the time is 

 not far distant when most of our fur animals will be ex- 

 terminated, and furs worn only by the well-to-do. 



It is to direct attention to the great commercial impor- 

 tance of our fur animal fauna, and to emphasize the neces- 

 sity of maintaining the supply, as well as to give those 

 interested a life history of the several species of mammals 

 that go to make up the fur animal fauna of Louisiana. 



This bulletin has been in process of compilation for 

 more than three years and it is believed that the informa- 

 tion it contains will aid materially in bringing about a 

 condition in Louisiana that will make the fur animals 

 found here a constant source of profit. 



We are justly proud of the position that Louisiana holds 

 as the chief fur-producing territory on the North American 

 continent for, directly or indirectly, fur contributes to the 

 support and comfort of a large proportion of our popula- 

 tion, and the industry is one of the natural resources of 

 the state that the Department of Conservation is charged 

 with, under the constitution, conserving, protecting and 

 upbuilding. 



Commissioner of Conservation. 



