The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense purchased between 2017 and 2022 a total of 498 bearskin hats for British Royal Guard agents, which represents the death of 498 black bears (Ursus americanus), since for each one A bear’s skin is needed for these ostentatious gala hats, says a report released by the British delegation of the international animal protection organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
The new data, not confirmed by the ministry, adds to the already long list of complaints by PETA UK against the tradition of using bear skin in the making of the hats of the King’s Guard and King’s Life Guard (contingents of infantry soldiers and cavalry responsible for guarding the official royal residences in the United Kingdom).
The report is also part of a campaign against bearskin caps to which the actor Stephen Fry has been associated, and which includes a video showing the activity of several groups of hunters in Canada who, according to PETA, cruelly kill bearskin caps. several black bears and skin the animals for later use in hat making for the Royal Guard.
“Disturbing footage shows hunters deliberately baiting bears with buckets of greasy, smelly food before shooting the unsuspecting animals with crossbows, a form of hunting that has been illegal in the UK since 1981 under wildlife protection laws. wildlife,” says PETA UK. The bears’ body parts are often kept as trophies and their skins are auctioned to buyers, including Ministry of Defense cap makers, who use them to make the headdress worn by the King’s Guard.
PETA has provided the images to Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and called on the MoD to “stop supporting this industry, which is completely at odds with public opinion: 95% of Britons say they reject furs. The group also shared the images with King Charles and asked him to support the change to synthetic fur,” says the animal rights organization.
The Ministry of Defense has claimed that the bear skins are a by-product of a “culling” supervised by Canadian authorities. However, PETA indicates that Canada’s federal and provincial governments will issue permits to hunters without effective oversight. “The Canadian government issues ‘tags’ to hunters, who can then bait and kill an assigned number of bears for recreation and sell their skins,” the animal rights organization says.
“These bears, lured with food to the hunters’ hideout, have no chance of surviving,” says Fry. “Tradition is never an excuse for cruelty, which is why I join PETA’s call for the Ministry of Defense to stop using the skins of slaughtered wild animals and switch to synthetic fur for Royal Guard caps. To do otherwise would be inconceivable and anti-British,” says the actor.
As the researcher noted, bears that are shot do not always die immediately. They may flee and suffer a slow, painful death from infection or blood loss, only to be found hours later, after hunters follow their bloody trail. During spring hunts, nursing mothers may be among those killed, leaving behind cubs that starve without them.
“The UK government is sponsoring bait-and-kill sport bear hunting,” says Kate Werner, senior campaigns director at PETA. “It’s time to modernize this iconic symbol of Britain by switching to a fabulous faux leather that has been specifically tested to ensure its suitability for use by the King’s Guard.”
PETA first offered the Ministry a premium faux fur produced by luxury faux fur mill ECOPEL in 2017, and ECOPEL has committed to supplying an unlimited supply for free until 2030. “This makes the death of these nearly 500 bears particularly shameful and unnecessary,” PETA UK now reiterates.