ANIMAL rights campaigners have hit out at the use of real fur on some cloaks worn in tours of the Game of Thrones film locations.
The Game of Thrones Tours company brings tourists and fans around key sites featured in the hit TV series, including Ballintoy harbour (The Iron Islands), the Dark Hedges (King's Road) and Castle Ward (Winterfell).
Tickets cost between £36 and £40, with one taking in areas used for filming around the Glens of Antrim and another covering locations in south Down.
However, animal rights campaigners have complained that real fur is used on some of the cloaks given to customers to wear during the tour.
The company did not respond to a request for comment from The Irish News on Wednesday, but the Northern Ireland Says No to Animal Cruelty group released a reply it claimed one complainant received.
The email said the furs used were sourced from a vintage store in England and "date from the 1920s and 1930s".
"They are old stoles, cut open so the fur lies flat.
"80-90% of our cloaks have faux fur, but a few have these old stoles. We include the stoles because some people want 'authentic' Game of Thrones cloaks."
It added: "We don't condone ill-treatment of animals in any way, we are just making use of old rubbish in the corner of a vintage shop. Sorry if that old rubbish causes offence, but again, we are not promoting the purchase of fur in the 21st century."
The campaign group, which has received complaints about the fur on social media, said it was "strongly opposed" to the "farming, selling and purchasing of fur in all cases".
"We feel that, whether they mean to or not, by using real fur as a selling point and authenticity they are very much promoting the fur industry, albeit indirectly.
"We urge the GoT Tours to donate the existing items to an animal rescue so the animals might get some benefit from them as bedding, and invest in faux-fur for future exhibitions."
It added: "Fans don't expect to see genuine Dire Wolves or White Walkers so there should be no expectation to see real fur."
