Hundreds of black bears face slaughter after Army abandons trial of synthetic fur for Guards' ceremonial headgear
By Cahal Milmo
Published: 17 June 2006
As a show of British military finery, the Trooping of the Colour has had no equal for 258 years. Today, the Guards regiments will parade for the monarch and tourists in their spotless regalia, topped with their lustrous bearskins.

But as the Queen takes the salute to mark her 80th birthday celebrations this morning, some 4,000 miles away a group of hunters will be preparing to go into the dense woodlands of Canada and kill an Ursus americanus or Canadian black bear.

If the animal is fortunate, it will die quickly from a shot to the head before having its head and paws severed as trophies and the skin sold to a fur auctioneer. In the past five years alone, 494 of those pelts have been sold at a cost of £321,000 to a long-standing customer of the Canadian fur industry - the British Ministry of Defence.

Yesterday, the MoD - and by default the guardsmen who will stand to attention on Horse Guards Parade today - were accused by animal welfare campaigners of perpetuating the annual slaughter of 10,000 Canadian black bears, many of whom die in pain from botched kills by fee-paying trophy " sportsmen".

The Army confirmed yesterday it would continue to buy between 50 and 100 bearskins a year after it declared a trial to replace the distinctive headwear with hats fashioned from synthetic fur had failed because they got " waterlogged" on rainy days.

Senior officers complained that the man-made hats lacked the "life" and "bounce" of real bearskin - the focus of millions of tourist photographs every year and, as one MoD official put it, "as much an icon of Britishness as a red telephone box".

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which has waged a three-year campaign to persuade the Army to switch to man-made bearskins and co-operated in the trial, said the MoD was engaging in a cynical "PR exercise" by insisting the synthetic hats were not fit for purpose.

The row has provoked an Early Day Motion signed by 175 MPs calling on the Army to switch to man-made bearskins.

Anita Singh, campaign co-ordinator for Peta, said: "The taxpayer should know that hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money is being spent to perpetuate this shameless slaughter.

"The MoD declared 20 years ago it was willing to switch to a synthetic fur. But, despite being an organisation with the resources to wage modern warfare, it seems incapable of sourcing a suitable man-made material. The result is the Labour Government, which banned fox hunting and fur farming in the UK, is indulging in a trade that inflicts terrible cruelty on wild animals solely for their skins. The MoD has blood on its hands."

The 16-inch high bearskins, worn by the soldiers of the five Guards regiments, have been part of British military uniform since the early 18th century. They are bought on behalf of the Army from unnamed licensed fur traders in Canada. The hats, fashioned from almost an entire bear pelt around a bamboo frame, are made in England by two military outfitters.

The MoD, which pays an average of £650 for a bearskin, said its requirement for fresh hats represented only a tiny proportion - between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent - of the total number of Canadian black bears killed each year. It is refurbishing a large number of the existing 2,500 hats to reduce demand.

A spokesman said: "None of these bears are killed specifically to make the caps. They are the result of a controlled kill overseen by the Canadian authorities.

"We have made it clear for some time that if we could find an effective alternative to the bearskins we would use it. We are very aware of the sensitivities about the use of fur. But so far there has not been a synthetic fur which performs the task."

With an estimated population of one million, the Canadian black bear is not an endangered species and the annual kill of 10,000 is controlled by a licensing scheme under which hunters pay to kill one or two animals at a time.

The species is listed under Cites, the international register of protected species, to ensure it is not passed off as its endangered relative, the Asian brown bear.

But Peta, which says it has sourced a synthetic fur that does not retain water but the MoD refuses to submit it to an independent laboratory test, insisted the British Army was legitimising an unnecessary and often cruel sport.

Ms Singh said: "There is no official cull in Canada. This is a commercial enterprise in which the female bear, when it has cubs, is the most prized because her fur is thicker and glossier. The fur of the mother bear is used in the bearskins of Guards officers.

"When the mother bear is killed, all too often her young cubs are left to starve. So, for every bear killed, another two or three will also die. Bears are also badly injured and manage to escape only to die in agony."

The armed forces minister, Adam Ingram, this week insisted that the "manner" in which the bears were killed was a matter for the Canadian authorities.

As a show of British military finery, the Trooping of the Colour has had no equal for 258 years. Today, the Guards regiments will parade for the monarch and tourists in their spotless regalia, topped with their lustrous bearskins.

But as the Queen takes the salute to mark her 80th birthday celebrations this morning, some 4,000 miles away a group of hunters will be preparing to go into the dense woodlands of Canada and kill an Ursus americanus or Canadian black bear.

If the animal is fortunate, it will die quickly from a shot to the head before having its head and paws severed as trophies and the skin sold to a fur auctioneer. In the past five years alone, 494 of those pelts have been sold at a cost of £321,000 to a long-standing customer of the Canadian fur industry - the British Ministry of Defence.

Yesterday, the MoD - and by default the guardsmen who will stand to attention on Horse Guards Parade today - were accused by animal welfare campaigners of perpetuating the annual slaughter of 10,000 Canadian black bears, many of whom die in pain from botched kills by fee-paying trophy " sportsmen".

The Army confirmed yesterday it would continue to buy between 50 and 100 bearskins a year after it declared a trial to replace the distinctive headwear with hats fashioned from synthetic fur had failed because they got " waterlogged" on rainy days.

Senior officers complained that the man-made hats lacked the "life" and "bounce" of real bearskin - the focus of millions of tourist photographs every year and, as one MoD official put it, "as much an icon of Britishness as a red telephone box".

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which has waged a three-year campaign to persuade the Army to switch to man-made bearskins and co-operated in the trial, said the MoD was engaging in a cynical "PR exercise" by insisting the synthetic hats were not fit for purpose.

The row has provoked an Early Day Motion signed by 175 MPs calling on the Army to switch to man-made bearskins.

Anita Singh, campaign co-ordinator for Peta, said: "The taxpayer should know that hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money is being spent to perpetuate this shameless slaughter.

"The MoD declared 20 years ago it was willing to switch to a synthetic fur. But, despite being an organisation with the resources to wage modern warfare, it seems incapable of sourcing a suitable man-made material. The result is the Labour Government, which banned fox hunting and fur farming in the UK, is indulging in a trade that inflicts terrible cruelty on wild animals solely for their skins. The MoD has blood on its hands."
The 16-inch high bearskins, worn by the soldiers of the five Guards regiments, have been part of British military uniform since the early 18th century. They are bought on behalf of the Army from unnamed licensed fur traders in Canada. The hats, fashioned from almost an entire bear pelt around a bamboo frame, are made in England by two military outfitters.

The MoD, which pays an average of £650 for a bearskin, said its requirement for fresh hats represented only a tiny proportion - between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent - of the total number of Canadian black bears killed each year. It is refurbishing a large number of the existing 2,500 hats to reduce demand.

A spokesman said: "None of these bears are killed specifically to make the caps. They are the result of a controlled kill overseen by the Canadian authorities.

"We have made it clear for some time that if we could find an effective alternative to the bearskins we would use it. We are very aware of the sensitivities about the use of fur. But so far there has not been a synthetic fur which performs the task."

With an estimated population of one million, the Canadian black bear is not an endangered species and the annual kill of 10,000 is controlled by a licensing scheme under which hunters pay to kill one or two animals at a time.

The species is listed under Cites, the international register of protected species, to ensure it is not passed off as its endangered relative, the Asian brown bear.

But Peta, which says it has sourced a synthetic fur that does not retain water but the MoD refuses to submit it to an independent laboratory test, insisted the British Army was legitimising an unnecessary and often cruel sport.

Ms Singh said: "There is no official cull in Canada. This is a commercial enterprise in which the female bear, when it has cubs, is the most prized because her fur is thicker and glossier. The fur of the mother bear is used in the bearskins of Guards officers.

"When the mother bear is killed, all too often her young cubs are left to starve. So, for every bear killed, another two or three will also die. Bears are also badly injured and manage to escape only to die in agony."

The armed forces minister, Adam Ingram, this week insisted that the "manner" in which the bears were killed was a matter for the Canadian authorities.

Some points.
1. Ms Singh is full of crap. Typical peta misinformation.
2. Black bear hunting is legitimate and is a reasonable use of a renewable resource. It is good that the bears have some value as a game animal. Otherwise they might not enjoy the protection they now have.
3. Those who live by hunting and gathering may be following their traditional lifestyle. It's just like some urban based liberal organization to decide their way is better.
4. If I thought I could get 650 pounds for a black bear hide, I might hunt and skin the greasy darn things myself. Regards, Bill.

quote:

Ms Singh said: "There is no official cull in Canada. This is a commercial enterprise in which the female bear, when it has cubs, is the most prized because her fur is thicker and glossier. The fur of the mother bear is used in the bearskins of Guards officers.

"When the mother bear is killed, all too often her young cubs are left to starve. So, for every bear killed, another two or three will also die. Bears are also badly injured and manage to escape only to die in agony."

What a pile of hooey! Female bears being targeted for their thicker fur. Who makes this shit up??? And, FWIW, its actually illegal in all jurisdictions in Canada (I believe...BC for sure) to shoot a female bear in the presence of cubs.

"Controlled hunt". "Commercial enterprise". Those are good ones too.

But, man, I wish I knew how much a bear hide was worth BEFORE the season!!!!!!!!

Wonder if I can get 650 pounds for my tanned hides????

Cheers,
Canuck

Right fella`s lets have it..........
I am a brit and have been very lucky to have been on 2 successfull bear hunts.
What i require is any relavant info that i can use so i can pen a "readers views" eg female bears being the prize but the fact that it is illegal to hunt them with cubs etc. anything really to put the record straight.
This type of reporting is all to typical for this piss hole country.
thanks for your help
B

Boo hoo Boo hoo Boo hoo They must hear me crying all the say to England.

What crock of Shit.

As a British citizen, i feek that this bollocks is"nt worthy of posting here. It has left wing republican/anti royalist, new labour stink to it. It comes from the same pen as the people who say it"s ok to kill a baby, but not a fox.
A cheap shot, not fit for serious attention.
good shooting

Kathi, where in the blue hell do you dig this shit up? Never have I seen such made up bullshit about Canadian hunting! Bleeding heart sonsabitches! They go to Stanley Park, and hey, no bears! There must be a shortage! They've been after Spring bear season for too many years. And guess what! We still have an abundance of Black bears.
Canuck if you find a way to sell your tanned hides for 650 pounds, pm me please with the info.

Maybe they should start wearing PETA skin hats, that might be a use the PETA nuts.

.366torque,

Go to www.wildlifeglobe.com there are other articles about bear hunting in Canada etc.

There is no commercial hunting of black bears in Canada,and sows with cubs are protected in the provinces that I have hunted in.One would have to be truly gullible to believe this crap.

Actually, in Alberta at least, trappers are allowed to take black bears and that is probably the source of the pelts.
Grizz

[

quote:

were accused by animal welfare campaigners of perpetuating the annual slaughter of 10,000 Canadian black bears, many of whom die in pain from botched kills by fee-paying trophy " sportsmen".

False, most bears are taken by resident hunters, and just like most deer, they die form well placed shots to the vitals, which ensure a quick death.

quote:

A spokesman said: "None of these bears are killed specifically to make the caps. They are the result of a controlled kill overseen by the Canadian authorities

We dont' have a 'cull' but trappers can kill bears as well as hunters. Each are allowed 2 tags.

quote:

Ms Singh said: "There is no official cull in Canada. This is a commercial enterprise in which the female bear, when it has cubs, is the most prized because her fur is thicker and glossier. The fur of the mother bear is used in the bearskins of Guards officers

Completley false. Not only do female bears NOT have nicer fur thn males, it's illegal to kill bears in a family unit, in BC. I assume it is tre in the rest of Cnaada, too. Most bears that are killed by hunters are males.

quote:

The armed forces minister, Adam Ingram, this week insisted that the "manner" in which the bears were killed was a matter for the Canadian authorities.

Killed by a rifle shot. That is the way most bears in Canada are killed.

We have black bears,so many they come right into the suburbs. Rumour has it, two were caught mating in a hot tub in West Vancouver.

Gates,
When I first saw the title of the thread, I thought it must be about your HBC Spring Bear Contest!
Cheers,
Canuck

The last time the British army needed black bear skins for hats the mayor of Timmin's Ontario organized the collection of pelts but it no longer seems to be part of the mayor's job.

All these tree hugger bastards really piss me off. The black bear isn't endangered and is a renewable resource. They want to use synthetics instead--made with oil that we rape the earth for. As mentioned in Alberta black bears are legally harvested by trappers-on a quota system so they aren't over harvested. Many trappers are natives and others who would dearly like to maintain contact with the land and they do so by trapping during the winter. How can this be so damned bad, the bears would eventually die anyway that's the way of nature.

the chef