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ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Eyewitness News investigation has found Central Florida stores selling furry souvenirs made with real animal hide and fur.

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Investigation Finds Furry Animals Made Of Real Fur, Hide

They come in all shapes and sizes. They are furry animals for your kids to cuddle, but these animals are far from cuddly.

"This one, believe it or not, is made from rat fur," WFTV reporter Steve Barret told parent Angie Wynn, showing her a toy.

"Oh, that's gross," Wynn replied.

Channel 9 bought animal figurines at Central Florida shops and sent them for DNA analysis at a nationally known crime lab. The results were startling. The animals weren't covered in synthetic fur, but in real animal hides such as goat and rabbit. Some of a toy kangaroo's fur came from what appears to be rat, and the lab couldn't rule out dog hide and fur on a monkey.

Humane Society investigator Rick Swain's undercover work into animal skinning practices in China led to a federal law outlawing the sale of figurines covered with dog and cat fur.

"It's not that difficult to circumvent the laws and everything. And the fur trade is fairly notorious for that. There is so much confusion and so much mislabeling that, unless you know your furs, it's very difficult to tell," Swain said.

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Swain said, even in the case of the goat and rabbit fur, most of the animals used for the figures are raised in places known as fur farms and conditions on these farms are deplorable.

Mislabeling is rampant. The gift shop manager Channel 9 talked to felt they, too, are victims. They believe they were sold goods that aren't what they're supposed to be.

"I don't know if it's dog or whatever. I'm serious. I didn't know," one store manager told Channel 9.

Parents say the thought of their children playing with real fur and hide is unimaginable.

"It's pretty incredible, actually. It's hard to believe that some people are actually making figurines out of dogs and rats and passing them off just to make a profit," said parent Maurice Simmons.

The fur figurine industry is a four to five million dollar a year business in Asia, which is where experts said most of the animals come from.