Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: September 20, 2022 05:44PM
kentish said:
"Bears were never killed specifically to provide fur for hats."
"Canada culls its bear population often as part of conservation and skins were provided from that cull."
Both these statements are true on their face.
Below are some article excerpts that provide more information about the issues:
The Fur Institute of Canada maintains that bear hunting provides social and economic benefit.
The Government of Canada states that bear culls are necessary for various reasons (protecting the health of the species, protecting human populations).
The "Animal Justice" group states that the information about culls is not true.
From the Fur Institute of Canada (pro):
https://fur.ca/conservation/black-bear-population-in-canada/“Bears are hunted for the provision of social and economic benefits. Many licensed hunters use the meat and provide the pelt for human use. Bear hunting provides additional income to people living in rural communities, where economic opportunities are limited. The manufacturers of Royal Guards hats (Busby) generally obtain their furs from fur auction houses in Canada, which sell the bear hides on behalf of the hunters and trappers.”
From the Animal Justice site re “The Queen’s Guards’ Caps” (con)
https://animaljustice.ca/blog/canadian-bears-killed-queens-guards-caps“Bearskin caps are used by militaries in over a dozen countries, but the most iconic are the headdresses worn by foot guards outside of Buckingham Palace. The controversial use of bear fur for ceremonial hats and how it helps fuel Canada’s hunting industry was highlighted in the British House of Commons this week [this column was published on July 15].
“United Kingdom (UK) Members of Parliament (MPs) debated the ongoing use of real bearskin caps by the Queen’s Guard following a successful PETA UK petition calling for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to end its funding of the slaughter of bears for ceremonial hats by replacing them with an indistinguishable faux fur alternative.
“In response to the petition, the UK government’s stated position is that the bear pelts exported from Canada to produce the caps are a by-product of a licensed cull by Canadian authorities to manage wild bear populations. And during the debate, the UK’s Minister of State for Defence Procurement argued that bear pelts are purchased exclusively from Canada because it is a regulated market with strict laws. The problem? It isn’t true.
“Freedom of information act requests have revealed that the UK government does not know the details of the supply chain for the fur it buys, as MP John Nicolson pointed out during the debate:
“The evidence is that most bears in Canada are killed by trophy hunters who know there is a market for the skins. Canadian Government culls are infrequent and only authorised to kill the small number of bears straying too close to human habitation. The MoD has no idea about the provenance of the dead bears it buys. The evidence, again, is that they are often nursing mothers. When they are killed to make a hat, their cubs starve to death.”
Government of Canada (harvest is permitted, under regulations):
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/convention-international-trade-endangered-species/non-detriment-findings/american-black-bear.html“Black bear is harvested as a both a game animal species (all range jurisdictions) and a furbearer species (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia) under the authorization of hunting/trapping permits or licences in accordance with their respective Wildlife Acts. The predominant method of harvest is hunting and Canadian export is primarily hunting trophies. Harvest of black bear occurs throughout its range (12 of 13 provinces and territories).”
“The majority of export of black bear from Canada is related to sport hunting (skins, rugs, taxidermy mounts or meat). Occasionally skins are sold and exported through auction houses. Guides, outfitters, fur traders, taxidermists, manufacturers and retailers are controlled under all jurisdictional Wildlife Acts. All are subject to operator licences, reporting procedures and/or inspections, ensuring that effective controls are in place to prevent the entry of illegally harvested bears into trade.”
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One of the biggest "predators" for the bears to worry about is indeed humans. Bears and wolves, among other wild animals, are put down every year due to the carelessness, ignorance or worse, of humans who don't respect boundaries or animal rights or just don't educate themselves.
By the actions of humans some animals must be otherwise unnecessarily put down because they have become acclimatized to human activity, even in what should be considered animal territory. The animals are killed to prevent negative effects on humans (such as animals reacting to human encroachment by doing what wild animals instinctively do, which is to protect their territory). Not hiking out of wilderness areas with one's garbage (food scraps etc) is a good way to get an innocent animal killed as by instinct they seek out more food from that source and may be seen to be a danger to humans if they appear in populated areas. That's just one way that many humans aren't kind to animals.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2022 05:56PM by Nightingale.