'Bear' Tells Prince Charles, 'Bear Hugs, Not Bear Hats'

Prince Charles is in for a bear of a time: PETA’s “bear” is tailing His Royal Highness on all his public engagements. An ambearsador for his Canadian cousins, who are killed so that their skins can be made into hats for the palace guards, PETA’s “bear” will be on the prowl until the guards go with the faux.

A Royal Pain
After following the prince to the US and Canada, the “bear” made his UK debut at the prince’s royal visit to the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield, where the prince spoke with the “bear”, saying, “I recognise you! I’ve seen you in America!”

Just a couple of days later, at the Wellspring Healthy Living Centre in Bristol, the prince smiled at the “bear” and said, “My, you are being very persistent!”

The prince will have to grin and bear it—his furry follower won’t give up until Canadian bears are safe from being killed for their skins.

It looked like Prince Charles was avoiding his ursine friend when he skipped a scheduled appearance at the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath. Although the prince was a “no show”, the determined PETA “bear” joined the eager crowds gathered outside the museum to prove that he will continue to show up (even if the prince doesn’t) to ensure the British public learns about this unbearable cruelty.

In Buxton, Derbyshire, Prince Charles pointed and waved to the “bear”, but although the Prince happily shook hands with most of the crowd, he disappointed the “bear” by turning down a bear hug.

Why Bear Down on Prince Charles?
“Prince Charles is a staunch defender of the environment, so it follows that he would oppose the slaughter of black bears for something as frivolous as a ceremonial hat”, says PETA Europe Managing Director Ingrid E. Newkirk. “Until he does, the PETA ‘bear’ will follow him, making the case that bearskin hats – not bears – should be extinct.”