A royal call for change: ban fur hats at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace (and Windsor Castle) attract tourists for its regular ‘changing of the guards’. But a wild bear from Canada is killed, for each hat made. Italy and Sweden have banned real fur for similar ceremonies and Canada is considering the same.
Fur production is now banned in the UK on cruelty grounds, so why is it still imported?
Each hat costs over £2000 and wild black bears often are shot with crossbow bolts (not dying instantly) after being lured from hibernation with buckets of cookies.
Over 1 million black bears have been killed for trophy hunting in the last 25 years, in North America. And they only venture into ‘human areas’ due to lack of habitat or lack of food.
My chances of being murdered by a human are 60,000 times greater. In working closely with wild bears, I have used bad bear manners on occasion and been slapped, but they were usually just welts. Black bear claws are strong for climbing trees, not sharp for holding prey. Lynn Rogers PhD (black bear expert)
Who’s decision is it to ban bear fur?
It’s important to say that though the monarchy does not have the best record on animal welfare (hunting etc), no members now wear real fur, and it’s not the decision of King Charles, but the Ministry of Defence. But they refuse to test EcoPel (on free trial) despite it having the same water-repellance.
How to help ban bear fur hats
Write or email your MP asking them to bring the issue up in parliament. Hopefully an MP can bring a Bill to change the law, it would likely be supported by most MPs on all sides.
We are a compassionate nation. And bears are living, feeling beings – not fabrics to make caps from. Allow us caps worthy of a royal guardsman. Allow us caps worthy of the UK. A Royal Guard
