Weir says he’ll wear faux, not fox fur, after receiving ‘threats’ from animal rights groups

Weir changes mind about wearing fur

Johnny Weir is replacing the fox on one of his costumes with faux fur after he and his costume designer were targeted by an animal rights group.

The figure skater has gotten “hate mail and death threats,” agent Tara Modlin said Thursday, and he doesn’t want anything to disrupt his performances at the Vancouver Olympics.

After Weir added white fox fur to the left shoulder of his free skate costume for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friends of Animals posted an open letter asking him not to wear fur. On Tuesday, the group faxed a press release about the letter to his costume designer.

Weir’s decision first was reported by icenetwork.com