'Bears' hound Charles on India visit

Amit Banerjee / INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK / Mar 31, 2006, 11:14 IST

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It can take the entire hide of one bear to make just one headpiece of Queen Elizabeth's guards, say PETA activists.

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Disguised as bears and waving a sign that reads 'Save My Skin', Swati Shah and Roni of PETA India are following Prince Charles.
NEW DELHI: Will it become too much to bear for His Royal Highness? Two unusual figures have been dogging all public engagements attended by Britain's Prince Charles during his March 26-31 visit to India.
Disguised as bears and waving a sign that reads 'Save My Skin', Swati Shah and Roni of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India are following Prince Charles around to encourage him to convince his mother Queen Elizabeth II to call off the slaughter of Canada's black bears for the ceremonial bearskin hats that her guards wear and use faux fur instead.

According to the animal rights group, it can take the entire hide of one bear to make just one guard's headpiece. The skins come from bears shot in Canada, many shot several times before they die, while some escape the hunters and bleed to death. When mother bears are killed, orphaned cubs that cannot survive on their own are left behind.
After months of campaigning, PETA Europe reached the negotiating table with the British Ministry of Defence and is now working with several faux-fur manufacturers to find a suitable alternative to bear skin. Although this is a step in the right direction, PETA is unhappy that the British monarch and the ministry is allowing bears to be killed for these hats while trials to identify acceptable faux-fur hats are underway.

"Prince Charles is known to be a staunch defender of the environment, so it would make sense for him to oppose the slaughter of black bears for something as frivolous as a ceremonial hat", says PETA India Director Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Until he comes to his senses, the PETA bear will be a regular fixture at Charles' public events in Britain and overseas and will not go away until these bearskin hats become extinct."
The campaign for a ban on bear fur in the Household Guards' headwear has received high-profile support from celebrities like Imogen Bailey, Sir Roger Moore, Morrissey, Julian Clary, Pamela Anderson, Twiggy, Amanda Holden, Hayley Mills and others.
PETA is using the slogan 'Bear Hugs, Not Bear Hats' to draw the attention of the British royal family to the plight of the endangered species.

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