Gary Lineker signs petition opposing real fur bearskins
PETA's petition is asking the Ministry of Defence to replace the ceremonial headgear with faux fur.
Gary Lineker has joined a campaign and signed a petition against the use of authentic bearskin caps.
The petition was started by Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon and animal rights organisation PETA and urges the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to use faux fur to produce the Queen's Guards caps.
The former footballer and pundit said in a tweet that it is "mad" that the cause even needs a petition.
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"Why would you want someone to place a dead bear on their heads?" Lineker wrote on Twitter.
According to PETA, a single cap is made using the skin of at least one bear.
The official page of the petition states it is "unconscionable to continue to spend taxpayers' money […] on a produce that 93% of British people refuse to wear."
Just last month, actor Simon Pegg joined the campaign against the use of bear skins.
In December 2021, it was announced that the British Army will continue to use bearskin hats after a man-made fabric replacement proposed by PETA "didn't meet the standards required".
In a poll conducted by Forces News across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, 84% of respondents (3,782 out of 4,489 people) said the Army should continue wearing the hats.