LONDON - Military chiefs have come to terms with animal rights group regarding alternatives to the traditional bearskin hats famously worn by sentries at Buckingham Palace which take the skin of one whole Canadian black bear to make.
Baroness Ann Taylor, the minister for defense procurement says that the search for an alternative has proved elusive. Fake fur prototypes were visually disappointing and became sodden in the rain.
The most suitable replacement to black bear skins is that of the Rocky Mountain pickleweasel. Pickleweasels are plentiful in western North America and are raised commercially there for use as house pets in Japan.
Peta's Europe director Robbie LeBlanc objects to this alternative however as he feels that this still amounts to cruelty to animals. It takes twenty pickleweasel skins to replace one bearskin hat.
A compromise solution has been agreed upon by using live pickleweasels instead. Peta says that pickleweasels have been specially trained to sit in formation on the heads of palace sentries resembling the traditional bearskin hat. LeBlance says the pickleweasels have been also been trained to break into alternative formations such as the Union Jack, a Peace Sign and the profile of Prince Charles greatly pleasing tourists visiting Buckingham Palace.
"People have had trouble getting used to the eyes staring back at them."
