Baring all: Coronation Street actress Kate Ford poses in the nude for Peta as part of a protest at the Queen's Guards' caps being made out of bear skinCoronation Street star Kate Ford has bared all as part of a poster campaign urging the Ministry of Defence to stop using bearskin for The Queen's Guards' caps.
The actress said she was angry about the suffering that bears in Canada endured when they were baited, shot, killed and skinned just to be part of British soldiers' uniforms.
Ford took part in campaign as her character Tracy Barlow returned to Corrie this week after being allowed out from prison for her grandmother's funeral.
And the timing was expecially pertinent as the Grenadier Guards were marched into Buckingham Palace yesterday for an inspection by the Queen and a photoshoot.
In the sexy ad, shot by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), the star is pictured next to the slogan: 'Bare Skin, Not Bearskin'.
Taking a stand: The star says she abhors by the way the animals are killed for their furThe poster continues: 'Bears suffer and die for The Queen's Guards' caps.
'Support the campaign to end this cruelty. Visit PETA.org.uk.'
The ad is part of Peta's campaign to persuade the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to stop killing bears for the Buckingham Palace Guards' ceremonial headgear.
Kate's campaign was shot by photographer Karl Grant, and it is being released to coincide with Kate's return to the ITV soap.
She said: 'I would never have dreamed of posing nude, but when Peta showed me the footage of the bears being shot and skinned just for the sake of these ornamental Guards' caps, I decided to be brave and show some of my skin in the hope that the MoD will let the bears keep theirs.
'The cowardly hunters even bait the bears with food before ambushing them. When mother bears are killed, their cubs are left to slowly starve to death.
'This breaks my heart. I think it is despicable of the MoD to use taxpayers' money to fund this cruelty overseas when there are synthetic faux furs available.'
Peta US obtained video footage of Canadian bears as they were killed by a method called 'bait and shoot', a practice in which bears are lured to barrels of food and shot at close range.
The animal rights organisation said many bears were shot several times, and those that escaped died slowly from blood loss, gangrene, starvation or dehydration.
Controversial: The Queen meets the Grenadier Guards, complete with bearskin hats, in London yesterdayPeta said that when mother bears were killed, orphaned cubs were left behind to starve and that typically 70% of orphaned cubs died within one year.
Kate joins a long list of celebrities including Pamela Anderson, Lucy Davis, Morrissey, Julian Clary, Sadie Frost, Mary McCartney, Sir Roger Moore, Twiggy, Jilly Cooper, Hayley Mills and Amanda Holden who have condemned the slaughter of bears for The Queen's Guards' ceremonial caps.
An MoD spokesperson said: 'No bears are killed specifically for bearskin hats for the British Army.
'All bearskins used in the UK are sourced from Canada where bears are culled under the direction of the Canadian government to keep the bear population under control.
The fur flies: The guards cheered the Queen after she presented the regiment with new colours in the garden of Buckingham Palace
Hat change: Queen Elizabeth II poses for an official photograph with the Grenadier Guards, who swapped into caps'The MoD remains open to testing material that industry might offer us to assess whether a faux fur meets the requirements for a replacement bearskin hat material.
'So far industry has not been able to produce a suitable material to meet the Guards' requirements.'
Peta is a UK-based charity dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. It aims to educate policymakers and the public about cruelty to animals and promote an understanding of the right of all animals to be treated with respect.
It works through public education, research, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement and protest campaigns.
For more information visit www.peta.org.uk
Busy schedule: As well as campaigning for Peta, Ford has returned to Corrie as Tracy Barlowsource: dailymail
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