Why do people object to the bearskin hats worn by the British army?

Question

People say that it is time that fake fur was used , But the bears are still going to be culled any way and what about all the bears that are hunted. It is a used for some thing in stead of letting it be wasted. It is a great tradition and shopuld be left alone. The guards look great so leave them their traditions .

For the woman who said dont wear the hats and the bears dont get culled. Dont be so Niave

The land for the bears is getting smaller so the number of bears becomes a problem therefore they get culled.

Answer 1

As a Scots Guardsman I thank you for this, to the people out there most of our bearskins are old! and I mean very old at that! The Household Division has been working for years with artificial fur.

To the people saying our Dress uniform looks stupid is that why we are the Number 1 Military tourist attraction? Stop being so stupid and petty we are bloody fantastically smart and spend unknown hours making sure we turn out so at every parade!

We are part of Britain's tradition and heritage and should be respected as so, oh and we are in no way toy soldiers as we are always in there first in every conflict with long standing honours and battle honours!

The Scots Guards motto says it all " Nemo me impune lacessit "

Also like to add the 1st Battalions marching tune is in salute to the great bear!

Answer 2

People object because although wearing the bearskin is a tradition, it is also a cruel way of obtaining material for a hat when there are synthetic materials available.See the following:-

A bearskin is a tall fur hat worn as part of the ceremonial uniform of several regiments in the British Army (most notably the five regiments of Foot Guards), the Canadian Army (Royal 22e Régiment (The Van Doos), Governor-General's Foot Guards, Canadian Grenadier Guards, The Royal Regiment of Canada) and by the Royal Life Guards (Den Kongelige Livgarde) of the Royal Danish Army. Until 1914 bearskins were worn in parade uniform by the Regiment des Grenadiers/Regiment of Grenadiers of the Belgian Army. The modern regiment has recently readopted this headdress for limited ceremonial purposes, although it is now made of synthetic fur,

The standard bearskin of the British Foot Guards is 18 inches tall, weighs one and a half pounds and is made from the fur of the Canadian black bear. The British Army purchase the hats, which are known as caps, from a British hat maker, which sources its pelts from an international auction. The hatmakers purchase roughly 100 pelts each year at a cost of around £650 each. Proper maintenance of the hats allows them to last for decades. Some bearskin hats in use are more than 100 years old. In recent times, attempts have been made to produce a version with synthetic fur, with little success due to the effects of the weather and static electricity. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has protested the continued use of real fur.

Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and is still worn by regiments of grenadiers in various armies. However, following the Battle of Waterloo and the action in which they gained their name, the Grenadier Guards were permitted to wear the bearskin. This tradition was later extended to the other two regiments of Guards (Coldstream and Scots). The officers of Fusilier regiments also wore the bearskin as part of their ceremonial uniform. The bearskin should not be mistaken for the busby, which is a much smaller fur cap worn by the Royal Horse Artillery and hussar regiments in full dress. Neither should it be confused with the similar but lower racoon skin cap worn by other ranks of the Royal Fusiliers.

However tradition is one thing but to kill an animal un-necessarily just to wear it's skin seems sadly out of step in today's modern society. The arguement that bears are culled anyway is irrelevant. If the skins of culled bears are used do we also eat their carcasses?

Don't forget though that the British Royal Family is very pro-hunting and thinks that killing animals for fun is a jolly good pastime.

Answer 3

Just had to go and stir up the animal rights people, didn't you?

Yes, the bears will be culled. Yes, the fur should go to maintaining a long standing tradition. Yes, people have a right to object.

Answer 4

The objection is because hundreds of black bears are slaughtered every year in Canada to supply the skins from which the bearskins worn by the Footguards are made. The Footguards have decided against the manmade alternative and intend to stick with the traditional bearskin.

Answer 5

Because thousands of troops looking pretty on parade is far better than having all those wild, magnificent bears roaming around isn't it?
If the bears are to be culled anyway, why not give the bearskins to the homeless to ward off winter chills instead of sticking them on the heads of soldiers so that they look smart (I personally think they look ridiculous). The British taxpayer pays for these bear skins - so let the people decide what we do with them and I say give them to tramps and homeless people in winter.

Answer 6

People object because they are made of bear skin. What people don't realise that they don't make them anymore, and haven't done so for years. The traditional hats belong to the regiment, and when a soldier moves on, his hat is presented to a new recruit.

Answer 7

Those hypocrites don't give a damn about the Bears, they hate Britain, its traditions, and its Royal Family. A bunch of lefties, who are an answer looking for a problem.

Answer 8

Because they are made of real bear skin. And the use of fur, where animals are specifically killed for the fur, not where the fur or skin is secondary to being farmed and killed for meat is an anathema to the majority of people.

Answer 9

I can't agree with you when you say they are going to be culled anyway. Using bearskin in the hats means there is a market for bearskin, which leads to the culling of bears. If there wasn't a market for it, no bears would have to be needlessly culled. In this day and age we have created faux fur which is identical to real fur and a lot less cruel and cheaper.

Answer 10

Wish they would use cat skin hats instead!

Put a bounty on cat skins!!

You are quite right with what you say, dont mind hunting animals if you use them.

My neighbours shoot me wood pigeons - yum.