New controversy over the famous bearskin hats of the British Royal Guard

It is a very symbol british. But which never ceases to cause controversy. Thousands of tourists from all over the world photograph them every week, at the time of the famous changing of the royal guard, in front of Buckingham Palace: black trousers, white belt, red jacket and these funny hats more than 40 cm high, made entirely of black bear hair from Canada.

However, at over £2,400 each, these hats are becoming prohibitively expensive: they have increased by 30% in just one year. Over the last ten years, the purchase of these headgear has cost British taxpayers over £1 million.

These hats, which are worn at events such as the traditional “Trooping the Colour” military parade, have been in the crosshairs of animal rights groups for several years. Proponents of these bear-hair hats point out that they are durable and aesthetically pleasing. But animal rights activists say they involve sacrificing too many bears, noting that each hat requires the fur of a bear.

But this new surge in prices is unbearable for Peta, an association that campaigns for animal rights, which has long called for them to be replaced by synthetic caps. It gives two reasons: it would avoid killing bears for their fur in the Canadian forest; and it would cost a lot less…

The Ministry of Defence, which is in charge of the case, explains that the prices suddenly exploded because the contract with the supplier was modified. The army says it is ready to consider alternatives but has so far never found anything better than bear fur in terms of “safety and sustainability”.