Every year in North America, tens of thousands of beautiful bears are hunted and killed for the international fur trade. Some are lured with food and then gunned down. During hunts, as many as one bear in seven is not killed immediately but escapes wounded only to suffer a lingering death from blood loss or starvation.
Undercover photographs and video footage obtained by PETA reveal sickening scenes of the true violence and suffering involved in hunting and killing bears for their skins. In one example, a bear searching for food to feed her cub is lured into a trap set by hunters hiding nearby. The bear approaches the trap, anxious to find food for herself and her youngster, and cautiously reaches for a morsel. The hunters strike, gunning her down in cold blood. Her cub, frightened by the gunshots, scrambles for cover as the mother lies on the ground, convulsing in agony. Statistics show that it is almost certain that the baby will die from starvation or exposure now that the mother will no longer be there to provide food and protection.
The hunters in the footage cut the bear open and rip the skin from her body until there is nothing left but her head, still attached, sitting eerily on top of her rolled-up body. All the while, the hunters make crude jokes and comments about women and minorities – things that are so offensive I can't bring myself to share them with you. Please take a moment to view the video footage on our website and then show it to as many people as you can.
Everyone should see firsthand the horror we are trying to stop. And then, please make a generous donation to PETA to help end this inexcusable cruelty.
For nearly two centuries, our government has supported the abhorrent slaughter of Canada's bears by procuring bearskin pelts to make the ceremonial caps worn by The Queen's Guards. The caps serve no military or practical function. They are purely ornamental and could easily be made from a synthetic, humane fabric.
But to get the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to agree to stop using bearskins, we must ask you to please add your voice to those of other compassionate people today by supporting PETA with an immediate and urgent online donation of as much as you can afford.
Thanks to PETA's persistence, the tide is beginning to turn in favour of bears. The media, the public and many officials from all parties are now firmly on our side – the side of the bears. In fact, a recent survey showed that some 80 per cent of the British public believe it's a waste of taxpayer money to kill bears for their fur! Many people even thought The Queen's Guards' caps were already made of faux fur, as they should be.
We must now press the government as never before to stop this slaughter and save the lives of bears, including mothers and their cubs.
As Britons, we can be proud of many things, but the slaughter of magnificent and beautiful animals for ceremonial caps is certainly not one of them. The MoD's shameful support of this barbaric cruelty for the sake of tradition cannot be tolerated. Please help us send the loudest and strongest message possible by supporting our campaigns to help these and all other animals today.
You and PETA are the best hope for Canada's bears and their cubs – and the best hope for eventually closing down the international fur trade altogether. Please support our work to end this trade and all historic and groundbreaking campaigns today.
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