‘Bear’ Confronts Keir Starmer on Election Day

On election day, as Keir Starmer went to cast his vote at his local polling station, a PETA supporter pleaded with the Labour leader to save bears by supporting a switch to faux fur for the King’s Guard’s caps. The action comes after a PETA video exposé revealed how bears in Canada – whose fur is still used to make the caps – are baited with food, shot with high-powered crossbows, disembowelled, and dismembered by hunters.

The Labour Party has previously committed to conducting “an immediate review of the possible alternatives to bear fur” if it takes government, stating that “it is incredibly important that traditions develop and adapt if they are to survive”.

Dressed in a bear costume and holding a sign reading, “Sir Keir: Save My Skin! Vote for Faux-Fur Caps,” the supporter urged Starmer to help protect bears.

The King’s Guard Caps Are Products of Suffering

The disturbing investigative footage shows hunters shooting unsuspecting animals with high-powered crossbows – a form of hunting that has been illegal in the UK since 1981 under wildlife protection laws. Many bears are shot several times, and some escape and die slowly from blood loss, infection, starvation, or dehydration.

It takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap. According to public records obtained by PETA, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) bought 498 bearskin hats between 2017 and 2022 – equating to nearly 500 slaughtered bears.

Superior Faux Fur Is Available

PETA is urging the Ministry of Defence to switch to a superior faux fur, which is readily available and waiting to be rolled out. Created by PETA and luxury faux furrier ECOPEL, the faux bear fur doesn’t harm a hair on an animal’s body. It matched or outperformed bear fur when tested in a laboratory against the MoD’s five criteria for a faux fur and upholds the traditional aesthetic of the caps while reflecting modern values.

The faux bear fur cap, developed by PETA and ECOPEL.

Fuelling the Cost-of-Living Crisis

ECOPEL has offered to supply an unlimited amount of the fabric to the MoD for free for 10 years, yet the government continues to waste taxpayers’ money during the cost-of-living crisis – draining public funds and incentivising this senseless slaughter.