007 Wants to Revoke Crown’s ‘License to Kill’ Black Bears

For Immediate Release:
14 May 2003

Contact:
Dawn Carr 020 7357 9229, ext. 224

London – Having been taken ill hasn’t stopped actor Roger Moore, star of dozens of films but best known for his role as British super-spy 007 in the James Bond movie series, from being active as an advocate for animals: Moore has signed a petition from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calling on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Ministry of Defence to adopt a fur-free policy and switch to faux fur for the Household Guards’ bearskin hats.

It takes the entire hide of one to two bears to make just one Guard’s headpiece. The skins come from bears shot in Canada—many are shot several times before they die, while some escape the hunters only to bleed to death. When mother bears are killed, orphaned cubs who cannot survive on their own are left behind.

‘Ordering the killing of hundreds of magnificent black bears—whose only desire is to remain free and with their families—sounds like a dastardly plot that the British government would immediately send James Bond to foil,’ says PETA UK’s Dawn Carr. ‘With faux-fur substitutes available, the Ministry of Defence has no excuse for continuing in the role of villain.’

Mr. Moore joins Morrissey, Julian Clary, the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Twiggy, Jilly Cooper, Amanda Holden, Brian Sewell, Haley Mills, Ian Cawsey MP, Jerome Flynn and others in calling for a ban on bear fur in Guards’ headwear.

For more information, please visit PETAUK.org.