Playboy star Pamela Anderson has sent a petition to Queen Elizabeth II, urging her to stop the use of bear pelts in making the tall black helmets worn by palace guards, reports Daily Democrat. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) representatives said that 37-year-old Anderson collected 200 signatures from fans, when signing copies of her new novel at a London store on Thursday, and sent the petition to Buckingham Palace on Friday, arguing that synthetic materials should be used for the hats of palace guards. “We, the undersigned, urge the queen to call on the Ministry of Defense to cease the use of real fur on the uniforms for the regiment of foot guards,” said the petition.

“PETA has worked with a top faux fur manufacturer to produce a material that is now being field tested by the Ministry of Defense to replace bear fur, but during this process bears continue to be killed to make these ceremonial hats,” said a PETA spokeswoman.

A palace spokeswoman refused to comment.

The army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Dick-Peter said: “The army has been working closely with PETA because they say they can produce a satisfactory alternative using artificial fiber.”

“So far, PETA has signally failed to do so.”

He also added that “no bears are killed simply for the caps. The bears are killed to control the population. Where we can use an artificial alternative, we do so.”

Busby, the towering black hat, dates back almost 200 years to the Battle of Waterloo and is a key part of the uniform of the five guards’ regiments - the Coldstream, Grenadier, Irish, Scots and Welsh.