Protesters stage “die-in” to campaign against King’s Guards’ bearskin caps
Protesters staged a “die-in” near the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) headquarters on Friday to campaign against the King’s Guards’ bearskin caps.
The animal rights activists, dressed in little more than bear masks and covered in “bloody” arrow wounds, lay sprawled on Union Jack flags in Whitehall.
Jennifer White, 31, of Earlsfield, Wandsworth, sat in the middle of the action holding a sign which read: “Shot With Crossbows! 1 Cap = 1 Bear. MoD: Go Fur-Free.”
The tall black hats worn by the King’s Guard are made with real fur, sourced from black bears in Canada.
The protest comes after animal rights group PETA released a video showing bears being baited with food, shot with crossbows, disembowelled, and dismembered by hunters in Canada.
Ms White – PETA senior media and communications manager – said: “By using taxpayer funds to buy bearskin caps, the government is creating an incentive for the gruesome slaughter of bears.
“PETA is urging the MoD to stop endorsing this barbaric practice and to make the switch to a superior, faux fur replacement, which is ready and waiting to be rolled out.”
According to public records obtained by PETA, the MoD bought 498 bearskin hats between 2017 and 2022 – equating to nearly 500 slaughtered bears.
In 2017 PETA offered the ministry a faux-fur alternative, produced by luxury faux furrier ECOPEL which has committed to supplying an unlimited amount to the ministry for free for 10 years.
The MoD has previously said any fur alternative had to pass tests for how much water it could absorb and let through, what the material looks like when wet and dry, how fast it dries and how much it compresses.
An MoD spokeswoman said: “Bears are not hunted to order for the MoD and bear pelts used are a product of legal and licensed hunts.
“To date and to the Department’s knowledge, an alternative has yet to meet the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps.”
Picture: Protesters staged a “die-in” near the MoD’s headquarters on Friday (Picture: Jennifer White)
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