Do beavers die when getting fur felt to make cowboy hat?

Answer 1

Yes. Beavers are considered small game. They are killed as humanely as possible. Once they're dead, they are skinned, then their hide is put into a special shredding machine that separates the skin from the fur quickly and precisely. The fur is then mixed, treated and interwoven to create a fur-felt which can be shaped into a hat. So you're never wearing a dead beaver on your head, just a dead beaver's fur.