Here is an article (dated March 2) in British Columbia's The Province newspaper. It concerns this weekend's VancouFur convention, and includes comments from furries Mic the Squirrel, Xeonae the Coyote, and Jacky the Rabbit.
Fur is flying in Burnaby this weekend.
More than 450 people turned out for VancouFur 2013, a “furry” convention aimed at educating and entertaining attendees in the furry fandom.
On Saturday, the lobby of the Executive Hotel and Conference Centre was a zoo of people in animal costumes, called “fursuits,” as well as those with simple tails and ears.
While a fiddler played a tune, the furries paraded throughout the hotel, dancing and howling. The parade included several dragons, wolves, dogs, rabbits, unicorns, an alligator and a bull.
Later, in the “headless lounge,” a room where furries can take off their animal heads without offending others who would rather stay in costume, several furries spoke to The Province about their “hobby.”
A middle-aged man who goes by the name “Mic the Squirrel” said he attended the convention “for fun.”
With a day job at a car dealership, Mic sometimes wears his suit to draw traffic onto the car lot. He also attends parties and events in costume. He bought his squirrel suit on eBay for $50, a good price as some suits can cost thousands of dollars.
Many furries make their own costumes as well, such as “Xeonae” the coyote, who said VancouFur is her first convention.
“I’d heard about furries and I wanted to try it out,” she said, fanning herself with a paw. The suits are very warm.
Beside her, “Jacky,” a local artist with a rabbit “fursona,” tried to define the furry subculture.
While he admits people identify with the group for various reasons, he believes it’s closely connected to the hippy subculture.
“I think this is the most welcoming group I’ve ever found,” he said of the furries. “Everyone is welcome, everyone is happy.”
The costumes are a way of expressing what’s inside, of emphasizing the traits that make each person unique.
“We all find different ways of expressing ourselves,” he said.
For Jacky, that means a rabbit fursuit.
“I have an affinity to rabbits in general,” he said.
His personality traits align with typical rabbit characteristics, and he was drawn to the creatures as a child.
A few years ago, a friend invited him to his first furries event.
She eventually made his first rabbit costume for him.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.