‘Bears’ ‘Die’ on MoD Doorstep – PETA Calls For End to Bear Slaughter

In a striking protest, a group of PETA supporters – dressed in little more than bear masks and covered in bloody “arrow wounds” – lay sprawled on Union Jack flags. The bold “die-in” took place right outside the Ministry of Defence (MoD) headquarters in central London. The message was clear: the MoD must stop supporting the slaughter of Canadian black bears, whose fur is used to make the purely ornamental bearskin caps.

Bears Are Shot With Crossbows

The action follows a new PETA video exposé revealing how bears are baited with sweet and pungent food, shot with crossbows, disembowelled, and dismembered by recreational hunters in Canada, where the bear fur used for the King’s Guard’s caps is sourced.

Watch this disturbing footage to see hunters shooting the unsuspecting animals with 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.

Bearskin Caps Are a National Embarrassment

By using taxpayer funds to buy bearskin caps, the government is creating an incentive for the gruesome slaughter of bears. These caps are a national embarrassment and taint every guard’s uniform with shame.

It takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap. According to public records obtained by PETA, the MoD bought 498 bearskin hats between 2017 and 2022 – equating to nearly 500 slaughtered bears. PETA has made a virtually indistinguishable faux fur available to the MoD since 2017, which makes the killing of these bears even more shameful.

Superior Faux Fur Is Available

PETA is urging the MoD to make the switch to a superior faux fur, which is ready and waiting to be rolled out. Created together with top faux furrier ECOPEL, the luxurious faux bearskin doesn’t harm a hair on an animal’s body and would uphold the traditional aesthetic of the caps in a way that reflects 21^st century values – 96% of the UK population rejects fur and 75% believe the bearskin caps are a poor use of government funds.

This humane fabric gives a nod to tradition while sparing sensitive bears, and ECOPEL has committed to supplying an unlimited amount to the ministry for free for 10 years. The MoD must stop endorsing the barbaric slaughter of bears and switch to this superior fabric now.