Campaign for Faux Fur Hats (King’s guards)
A.A. Milne (who wrote the Winnie the Pooh books), wrote the famous poem on how ‘they’re changing guards at Buckingham Palace’. Even those of us who are not monarchists, can appreciate the sense of history and tradition, when the King’s Guards hand over their shifts, using precise military tradition.
The Captain of the Guard can choose the music he likes (sometimes classical, sometimes Tom Jones!)
The changing of the guards usually happens at 11am on certain days of the year, and is sometimes cancelled in rainy weather. The spectacle is a major draw for London tourists, so it’s understandable why the tradition will continue for many years to come.
The soldiers are known for their iconic red tunics (said to be so that from a distance, they would blend into ‘one’ so enemies would not know how many soldiers there were) and black hats. But what you may not know is that the hats are still made from real bearskin, from the hunting trade in Canada.
Why Are Real Bearskins Still Used?
It’s a mystery. Animal charity PETA says that the Ministry of Defence has consistently refused to test ECOPEL (known to have the same water-run-off and warmth textures, and is quicker to dry) – even with a free offer of the faux fur until 2030. So one presumes it’s just stick-in-the-mud tradition.
Yet Italy and Sweden have already switched to faux fur (and even Canada from where the bear fur is sourced) are considering a ban on real fur for ceremonial purposes.
Nearly everyone in the UK wants a switch (it’s unclear what the position of the royal family is – they do hunt, but King Charles III has banned foie gras from palaces and Queen Camilla has stopped wearing real fur).
Where Does the Bear Fur Come From?
The Ministry of Defence says the fur (one bear is killed per hat) is from regulated hunting in Canada, and that no bears are ‘sourced for hats’. But a Freedom of Information Act found that the UK government does not know the supply chain for the fur its buys for bearskin hats.
The online ‘royal collection shop’ even promotes a child’s replica, promoting it as the alternative for the ‘iconic bearskin hats’, as if it’s something that youngsters should be proud to be part of. Not likely, most children are more wildlife-aware than older adults.
Critics also say that real bear skin hats (which cost over £2000) are a waste of money – remember it’s your taxes that are paying for them.
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
King of the ‘save the bears from being made into caps’ campaign is Stephen Fry, who says ‘tradition is never an excuse for cruelty’. He was shown footage of wild black bears being lured by buckets of cookies, then shot with crossbow bolts (often not dying instantly, suffering from infected wounds and blood loss).
How We Can Stop Bear Being Killed for Hats?
The decision lies with the Ministry of Defence (and could be supported by vocal help from the monarchy). A few SNP MPs have researched and contacted the MoD about alternatives. Saying that many bears killed are just coming out of hibernation, so weak easy targets (others are nursing mothers, the cubs starving to death).
Canadian government culls are infrequent, and only authorised to kill the small number of bears straying too close to human habitation. The MoD has no idea about the provenance of the dead bears it buys. John Nicolson MP
Petitions have now closed. So the best way to help is simply to 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.
Why Should We Help Black Bears?
Because apart from being super-gorgeous, they are also good for biodiversity. Black bears live on many foods (berries, nuts, seeds, salmon, crabs, mussels). In the forest, they disperse more seeds than birds, and use their paws to break logs while grubbing, which returns nutrients to the soil.
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. John Muir
Yet over 1 million black bears have been killed for trophy hunting in the last 25 years, in North America. Black bears 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)
Buckingham Palace by A. A. Milne
They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
“A soldier’s life is terrible hard,”
Says Alice. They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace –
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We saw a guard in a sentry-box.
“One of the sergeants looks after their socks,”
Says Alice.
They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace –
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We looked for the King, but he never came.
“Well, God take care of him, all the same,”
Says Alice.
They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace –
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
They’ve great big parties inside the grounds.
“I wouldn’t be King for a hundred pounds,”
Says Alice.
They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace –
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
A face looked out, but it wasn’t the King’s.
“He’s much too busy a-signing things,”
Says Alice.
They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace –
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
“Do you think the King knows all about me?”
“Sure to, dear, but it’s time for tea,”
Says Alice.
