Bearskin caps were introduced by the British Army following the Battle of Waterloo in June 1850.The idea was to make the soldiers appear taller and more intimidating when in combat……OMG! Today, five of the British Army’s foot guard regiments wear bearskin caps.
The distinctive tall caps are worn on ceremonial events such as Trooping the Colour’. Figures from the MoD show that 24 new caps were bought in 2023 and 13 in 2022. Over the past decade the amount spent on replacement caps has been more than £1m.
Animal welfare campaigners have claimed it is cruel and unnecessary for the King’s Guard to use real fur, saying it takes the fur of one bear to make each bearskin.
Canada is the source for the fur used to make the hats. Bears hunted for their fur are often shot but not killed immediately. Some bears are shot several times before they die, and some escape only to die slowly from blood loss or starvation. When mother bears are killed, their orphaned cubs are left to starve or be killed by predators.
However, the ministry spokesman said a fake fur version would have to satisfy “safety and durability considerations” and that “no alternative has met all those criteria to date”.
How about ‘satisfying the consideration’ that a bear should not be slaughtered just to make a soldier look taller
NB – PETA [People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals] and luxury faux furrier ECOPEL have revealed the world’s first faux bear fur that is indistinguishable from the real bearskins used to make the Queen’s Guard’s caps.
ECOPEL – which makes faux fur for top designers – donated its time and expertise and built custom machinery to produce the material.
The humane, high-performing faux fur created by ECOPEL gives a nod to tradition while preventing sensitive bears from being viciously slaughtered for their fur.
The faux bear fur not only matches the exact length of real fur but is also 100% waterproof – as confirmed by a Ministry of Defence (MoD) copyrighted test, commissioned by PETA and conducted at the MoD’s accredited laboratory.