Every year, 6,000 to 9,000 muskrats are killed to adorn the regulation hats, a part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) winter uniform. Muskrat fur is also used on the winter hats of the Canadian armed forces and black bear fur continues to be worn by the ceremonial guard and several UK regiments.
The main goals of our RCMP fur hat campaign are to:
a) end the use of fur on the RCMP and on other Canadian government uniforms
b) raise awareness about the plight of trapped animals
Summary:
For several years, The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals has been asking the RCMP to replace the fur on their winter uniform hat with synthetic and/or natural alternatives.
While RCMP officials say they have tested alternatives, their so-called research for a replacement has been a failure.
The fur on their uniform hat remains, and Director of the Uniform and Equipment Program for the RCMP, Guy Rochette, Supt., says, “There is no development or testing being done at this time.” (Nov. 2008)
Furthermore, Guy Rochette says, “I can assure you that the RCMP is well aware of public opinion on the use of fur and is taking this into serious consideration. (But) At the end of the day, the health and safety requirements of our members remains our number one priority – and there will be no compromise." (Jan. 2009)
Cruel Steel Traps
Each RCMP winter hat requires 2-3 muskrats and each year approximately 3,000 hats are issued to new officers.
This winter (2011-2012) 1,000 fur-trimmed caps will be purchased for $65,000, for use by guards of honour and Canadian Forces.
To kill muskrats, leg-hold traps are most commonly used, specifically the ‘stop-loss’ leg-hold trap. These traps were created specifically for muskrats. The trap has an extra metal spring, which slams onto his body, pinning the muskrat down, away from the trap. This prevents him from wringing off, or chewing off his own limb, which many muskrats will do in an effort to escape.
Drowning muskrats are conscious and experience all of the pain and distress associated with drowning. (Ludders, Schmidt, Dein, and Klein, 1999) - a death which The Canadian, American and World Veterinary Medical Association all deem as inhumane and unacceptable.
Muskrats are can also be trapped on land. The pain and anguish of a steel leg-hold trap is unbearable.
Coyote Fur Too?
The RCMP's recently issued "inclement parka" has two detachable hoods. One is for the "extreme cold weather" and is trimmed with coyote fur. Coyote fur comes from snared or trapped coyotes.(We are also looking into allegations that the RCMP traditional summer stetson hat is made in part from rabbit fur.)
The RCMP continues to use thousands of muskrats per year and now coyotes (and possibly rabbits) to outfit their members, claiming that no suitable alternative is available to adequately protect their members against rain and cold.
It is worth noting that adventure seekers trek to the coldest places across the earth wearing materials specifically developed to protect them from the elements, and those materials are very rarely made of fur. Why is it so difficult for the RCMP to find an alternative to fur?
What we are doing:
- Representatives from our Association have met with RCMP officials at their headquarters in Ottawa and provided them with information about trapping cruelty, and unveiled our video showing how muskrats are trapped and killed to make their fur hats. Our efforts resulted in national media coverage and the RCMP said they would start researching alternatives to their use of fur.
- While we continue to press the RCMP and other government officials to stop using real fur, we are also distributing literature and posters about this issue to the public and media, and we continue to circulate our RCMP anti-fur PSA’s, videos, newspaper and magazine ads.
