FUR FARMING

FUR FARMING, breeding of valuable fur animals for peltries (fur skins); a branch of livestock breeding. F.f. produce is used for manufacture of furs. The main fur animals bred in Bashkortostan are mink, Arctic fox, silver fox, nutria, ferret, etc. In the 1950s, Uchalinsky Fur Farm bred silver fox, blue fox (until the early 1970s), since 1959 Ulu Telyaksky Fur Farm (Iglinskoye Fur Farm) bred coloured minks and nutrias, in the 1960s — veil Arctic fox, silver fox. In the 1980s, Urtakulskoye Fur Farm in Buzdyaksky Raion bred nutria. In 1964, the mint and Arctic fox breeding stock at the fur farms of the Republic was the average of 5—6 thous. heads, in 1974 — 10—11, and in the 1980s — 15—20 thous. heads. The litter from one female fox increased from 3.7 (in the 1950s) to 4.7 (in the 1990s) cubs. The number of animals increased considerably due to their keeping in cages, use of fish and fish waste fodder, as well as various dry feeds, etc. Since 1990, Ulu Telyaksky Fur Farm has bred hybrid ferrets, racoon dogs, common martens, and red foxes. The main fur breeding farm in the RB is OOO Oktyabrskoye in Kugarchinsky Raion. In 2012, the mint stock at the fur farm amounted to 1000 (scanbrown breed; imported from Denmark) individual animals, that of silver fox — 125 (brought from the Kirov Obl.), blue fox — 600 (veil and shadow breed), sable — 1500 (Pushkinian dark, brought from the Leningrad Obl.).