The U.S.-based animal rights group PETA has detailed an undercover investigation into the practice of baiting and killing black bears with guns or crossbows in Canada, which it says is fueled by a British military tradition. The group, in a statement and a video released Wednesday narrated by actor and comedian Stephen Fry, alleges the fur from the bears killed using the method, which is not illegal in Canada, is auctioned off and sometimes ends up in the iconic hats worn by the soldiers of the King’s Guard.
The PETA campaign calls on the U.K. Ministry of Defense to switch to fake fur in the hope that it will curb the form of hunting. Bears were hunted to extinction in the U.K. in medieval times, but bear baiting as a form of hunting has been explicitly outlawed under Britain’s wildlife protection laws for more than four decades.
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“Every day that our soldiers wear hats made from the fur of slaughtered bears brings dishonor to our country,” Fry says in the video, which shows hunters using buckets of sweet or greasy food to lure the unsuspecting animals before shooting and skinning them.
The King’s Guard have worn the bearskin hats for more than 200 years, though the headgear is now used only ceremonially, during parades and military events at Buckingham Palace and other royal venues.
“It’s time to modernize this iconic symbol of Britain by switching to a fabulous faux fur that has been tested specifically to ensure its suitability for use by the King’s Guard,” PETA’s senior campaign manager, Kate Werner, said in the group’s statement.
The Ministry of Defense insists the fur used in the King’s Guard hats all come from legal hunts licensed by Canadian authorities, and it notes that various faux fur options trialled previously have failed to meet the standards required of a viable replacement.
“Our Guardsmen take immense pride in wearing the bearskin cap which is an iconic image of Britain, and the quality of sustainability of the caps is incredibly important,” it said in a correspondence replying to a citizen’s concerns, which was obtained and published by PETA.
According to public records obtained by PETA, the Ministry of Defense purchased almost 500 bearskin hats between 2017 and 2022.
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