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Animal rights groups object to Buckingham Palace guard's distinctive bearskin caps

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Animal rights groups object to Buckingham Palace guard's distinctive bearskin caps
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Animal rights groups object to Buckingham Palace guard's distinctive bearskin caps

2024-09-13 11:28 Last Updated At:11:41

LONDON (AP) — An animal rights group trying to get real fur out of the bearskin caps worn by King's Guards at Buckingham Palace took aim Thursday at the cost of the ceremonial garb.

The price of the caps soared 30% in a year to more than 2,000 pounds ($2,600) apiece for the hats made of black bear fur, the Ministry of Defense said in response to a freedom of information request by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

“Stop wasting taxpayer pounds on caps made from slaughtered wildlife and switch to faux fur today,” the group said in a statement.

A luxury fake fur maker has offered to supply the army with free faux bear fur for 10 years, PETA said.

The military said it was open to exploring alternatives if they pass muster in durability, water protection and appearance. But "no alternative has met all those criteria to date,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

The distinctive tall black hats, worn by guards in bright scarlet tunics, are seen by millions who watch the regular changing of the guard ceremony at the palace. They also appear at other royal events including the annual Trooping the Color ceremony honoring the monarch’s birthday in June.

The cost of the caps rose from 1,560 pounds ($2,035) each in 2022 to 2,040 pounds ($2,660) in 2023, the ministry said. More than 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) was spent on them in the past decade.

The price went up because of a contract change for fur that comes from bears killed in licensed hunts in Canada, the military said. Each cap requires one bear pelt, PETA said.

PETA, hich has been pushing for more than two decades to scrap the fur hats, said each cap requires one bear pelt. The group claimed that the defense department is propping up the “cruel” Canadian bear-hunting industry.

The ministry denied that charge and said if it stopped buying the pelts, it would not reduce the numbers of bears being killed.

Parliament debated the issue in July 2022 after an online petition with more than 100,000 signatures called for using fake fur in the caps.

“This hunting involves the violent killing of bears, with many bears being shot several times,” Martyn Day, then a Scottish National Party member of Parliament, said at the time. “It seems undeniable, therefore, that by continuing to purchase hats made from the fur of black bears the MOD is funding the suffering of bears in Canada by making the baiting and killing of those animals and the sale of their pelts a profitable pursuit for the hunters.”

Day said a poll at the time found 75% of the U.K. population found real bearskins were a bad use of taxpayer money and supported replacing the hats.

He noted that the late Queen Elizabeth II had ceased buying fur for her wardrobe.

Earlier this year, Queen Camilla, wife of King Charles III, pledged to buy no more fur products.

FILE - Soldiers from the Irish Guards march along the Mall as they take part in the Trooping the Color ceremony, in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

FILE - Soldiers from the Irish Guards march along the Mall as they take part in the Trooping the Color ceremony, in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

FILE - Japan's Emperor Naruhito, escorted by Britain's King Charles III inspect the honour guard on Horse Guards parade during the ceremonial welcome for start of the State Visit to Britain by the Emperor and Empress in London, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)

FILE - Japan's Emperor Naruhito, escorted by Britain's King Charles III inspect the honour guard on Horse Guards parade during the ceremonial welcome for start of the State Visit to Britain by the Emperor and Empress in London, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)

FILE - Troops marching down the Mall to Horse Guards parade to take part in the Trooping the Colour parade at Buckingham Palace, in London, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Troops marching down the Mall to Horse Guards parade to take part in the Trooping the Colour parade at Buckingham Palace, in London, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Soldiers attend the Colonel's Review, the final rehearsal of the Trooping the Colour, the King's annual birthday parade, at Horse Guards Parade in London, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

FILE - Soldiers attend the Colonel's Review, the final rehearsal of the Trooping the Colour, the King's annual birthday parade, at Horse Guards Parade in London, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

VANG VIENG, Laos (AP) — The Laotian government on Saturday officially acknowledged the mass poisoning that has killed at least six tourists, promising it would bring perpetrators to justice.

Two Australian teenagers and a British woman died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos. An American man and two Danes also died, though their exact causes of death have not been released. A New Zealander also has been sickened.

In a short statement released to the media, the Lao government said it was “profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists” in the town Vang Vieng and offered its condolences to the families of the victims.

“The Government of the Lao PDR has been conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law,” it said.

Laos is a one-party communist state with no organized opposition and the government keeps a tight lid on information. In this case, officials have released almost no details. The police have said they detained a number of people but refused to provide further information.

Details have been murky over the number of tourists affected and the possible source of the methanol-laced drinks.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death. It is also a byproduct of poorly distilled homebrew liquor, and could have found its way into bar drinks inadvertently.

The U.S. State Department on Friday issued a health alert for citizens traveling in Laos, warning of “suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks,” following similar alerts from other countries whose citizens were involved.

Nineteen-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles died in Thai hospitals on Thursday and Friday respectively after being evacuated from Laos for emergency treatment. Thai authorities confirmed that Jones had died by “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system.”

Both were found sick in their room at the Nana Backpacker Hostel on Nov. 13 after they failed to check out as planned.

The U.K. Foreign Office named 28-year-old British woman Simone White as another of the victims.

Landlocked Laos is one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports.

Neil Farmiloe, a New Zealander who owns the Kiwi Kitchen restaurant, serves food to the foreign tourist in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Neil Farmiloe, a New Zealander who owns the Kiwi Kitchen restaurant, serves food to the foreign tourist in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists roam around in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists roam around in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists ride on boat in a river in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists ride on boat in a river in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Backpacker foreign tourists roam around in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Backpacker foreign tourists roam around in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A foreign tourist rests near a swimming pool at Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A foreign tourist rests near a swimming pool at Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

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