Longtime vegetarian, animal rights advocate, and letter-to-the-editor writer Morrissey has penned a note to the UK’s Times newspaper declaring his support for Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe’s unveiling and subsequent denouncement of the practice of killing Canadian brown bears for the purpose of lining Royal Guard hats with their fur. As transcribed by fansite Morrissey-Solo, Moz writes:
In the humanised world, of course, hats are not worth killing for. Yes, animal rights move different people differently, and there are even those who think that animals simply have no right to be, but there is no sanity in making life difficult on purpose for the Canadian brown bear, especially for Guards hats that look absurd in the first place, and which can easily be replaced by faux versions (thanks to the visionary Stella McCartney) with no death involved.
Morrissey goes on to call out Queen Elizabeth II, specifically, for allowing the cruelty to take place in her name. In so many ways, this is a sad story, but I, for one, love Moz even more for speaking out in defense of bears and (previously) rabbits. His full letter is here.