Stephen Fry wants King's Guards to ditch bear fur

Stephen Fry advocates for the discontinuation of using real bear fur in the King’s Guards’ bearskin caps, citing unnecessary cruelty.

The actor says it is unnecessarily cruel to use real bear fur in soldiers’ bearskin caps.

Mr. Fry asserts that tradition should never justify cruelty as he narrates a video depicting undercover footage of the killing of black bears.

The Ministry of Defence maintains that the bear fur comes from hunts that are “legal and licensed.”

Black bearskin hats are commonly seen in ceremonial military occasions like the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

Mr. Fry advocates ending the use of bear fur for ceremonial caps worn by the King and other members of the Royal Family during events like Trooping the Colour, proposing the adoption of high-quality artificial fur as a more ethical alternative to fur sourced from slaughtered wildlife.

He provides a narration for a video on behalf of the animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The video critiques the merciless killing of bears by trophy hunters and highlights the use of their fur in crafting caps worn by the King’s Guard.

Mr. Fry, a guest at last May’s Coronation, asserts that a single bear is needed to produce enough fur for each cap. An undercover video, purportedly captured by an animal welfare advocate, alleges that hunters use strongly scented food as bait to lure black bears before shooting them with crossbow bolts. Mr. Fry’s commentary indicates that this practice may not result in immediate death, potentially causing bears to succumb later due to infected wounds or blood loss. The bears are then gutted, with their body parts utilized as trophies and their fur sold. Mr. Fry contends that the UK government, by continuing to purchase black bear fur caps, sustains demand for pelts, consequently encouraging hunters to pursue this practice.

Britain’s reputation for sportsmanship is well-known, but the recent practice of baiting bears with cookies for hunters to target seems entirely unfair to the bears’ survival.

According to Kate Werner from PETA, the UK government’s endorsement of bait-and-kill hunting, specifically targeting mother bears, is concerning. PETA intends to share video evidence with King Charles in the hope of persuading him to advocate for a shift from real to artificial fur.

In response, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence clarified that their bear pelts come from regulated sources, including authorized hunts and the Canadian fur market. They stated that, as of now, no alternative has met the necessary standards to effectively replace bearskin for ceremonial caps.

Buckingham Palace chose not to provide any comment on the matter.