Fur flies after Mariah Carey donates it to charity

A $7,500 fur coat donated by pop diva Mariah Carey and intended for Mongolia's poor has disappeared, a leading animal rights group said on Thursday.

Carey donated the fur coat to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which told Reuters it had since been lost on its way to Mongolia, where it was to be given to nomads to help them keep warm in the winter.

"After (Carey) received two floor-length minks from a rich admirer, she resealed the box and sent them to PETA," a spokesman said.

"One coat was on its way ... to Switzerland -- where it was to be included in a sealed container bound for Mongolia as part of a worldwide fur-coat drive in conjunction with the Swiss Animal Protection Society," he added.

"But the coat never arrived."

Each year, PETA distributes hundreds of cast-off furs to help clothe the homeless and refugees.

In Mongolia, PETA hires impoverished women to cut donated fur coats into narrow strips. The strips are then handed over to nomad families who use them to make the inner linings of their traditional winter coats.

Carey, 36, whose commercial success has not translated into awards show acclaim, was snubbed at the American Music Awards on Tuesday, despite scoring three nominations.

She was not immediately available to comment.