Killing Canadian Black Bears for The Queen's Guards' Caps Must Stop, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
June 28, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Ottawa -- Wearing little more than painted-on Queen's Guard uniforms and faux-fur hats, two nearly nude PETA members will converge on Parliament Hill just before the Changing of the Guards ceremony on Wednesday, the day before Prince William and Kate Middleton are scheduled to arrive in Ottawa. PETA U.K. has presented the Ministry of Defence with several cap alternatives made from the finest faux furs available, but the group has been met with one excuse after another.
When: Wednesday, June 29, 9:45 a.m.
Where: Parliament Hill, at the intersection of Metcalfe and Wellington streets, Ottawa
"We hope the Royal couple will show some compassion for the hundreds of bears maimed and killed for nothing more than a ceremonial hat," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "No tradition on Earth can justify this cruelty."
It can take one bear's entire hide to make just one Guard's hat. The skins come from Canadian black bears who are often shot several times before they die. Some escape the hunters and bleed to death. When mother bears are killed, orphaned cubs are left behind to starve. Many high-profile supporters—including Sir Roger Moore, Morrissey, Stella McCartney, Pamela Anderson, Twiggy, and Ricky Gervais—have joined PETA U.K. in calling for a ban on the use of bear fur in The Queen's Guards' headwear.
For more information, please visit PETA's website PETA.org.