PETA Crashes Windsor’s Changing of the Guard Over Bearskin Caps
PETA supporters took action for Canadian black bears and descended on the Changing of the Guard ceremony, unfurling an enormous banner emblazoned with the message, “Bearskin Caps? That’s Old Hat! Switch to Faux Fur”.
As the guards marched up the high street and into Windsor Castle, protesters urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to replace the bearskins used to make the King’s Guard’s caps with the world’s first faux bear fur, created by PETA and luxury faux furrier ECOPEL.
The action comes after we initiated legal proceedings against the MoD on grounds of unlawful conduct following the ministry’s refusal even to read a laboratory test report on the faux bear fur showing that the fabric meets its standards, even though the ministry has given repeat assurances that it would trial any suitable faux fur.
Faux Fur Is the Future
The faux bear fur is virtually indistinguishable from the real bearskin used to make the King’s Guard’s caps, and ECOPEL has even offered an unlimited amount of the faux fur free of charge until 2030, which could save over 1 million pounds of taxpayer money and many bears’ lives.
The Reality of the Bearskin Caps
The MoD has claimed that the fur is sourced from bears who are killed as part of Canadian government “culls”, but we’ve found no evidence that such culls exist in any province or territory of Canada.
Instead, hunters obtain permits to bait and kill bears for “sport”, then sell their fur to auction houses. Some bears are shot several times before they die, and some escape only to bleed to death. Shockingly, even the use of bows and arrows to hunt bears is permitted in some provinces.
It takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap. When mother bears are killed, their cubs are left to starve.
Changing of the King’s Guard’s Caps
The MoD has no excuse to stop high-tech, luxurious faux bear fur from being marched into service. It’s time there was a changing of the King’s Guard’s caps. The MoD must honour its word and embrace a kinder future.
In July, a government e-petition in support of PETA’s campaign amassed more than 100,000 signatures from the public, triggering a parliamentary debate. But the MoD is yet to act.
Urge the prime minister to stop the MoD from using real bear fur:
