PETA’s gorgeous devotee has taken yet another opportunity to speak up for animals – in Australia, mate!

She headed down under for an appearance in Australia’s Big Brother (why can’t we get Pam in our Big Brother?!) and also hand-delivered a copy of her letter to Albert Baladi, managing director of KFC’s parent company in Australia, to staff at a local KFC. She gave each manager a copy of her explicit video, which reveals KFC suppliers scalding chickens to death in defeathering tanks and other atrocities.

In the letter, Pam explains:

“I’ve been in Australia filming Big Brother, in which my housemates and I are confined and sealed off from the outside world, much like the chickens who are crammed inside barns for KFC. Fortunately, I won’t be stomped to death, have my legs broken or be scalded to death in a tank of hot water—yet, as PETA’s undercover videos have revealed, the chickens raised for KFC’s restaurants in Australia often suffer these abuses.”

Pam urges Baladi to follow the lead of KFC Canada, which agreed last month to make landmark animal welfare reforms.

Read the whole of Pam’s letter.

The meat industry largely contributes to global warming and the environmental issues that we face today – fact. A new film called Meat the Truth delves deep into these topics and even stars Pamela Anderson and PETA US’ very own Matt Prescott! Well I say film, but it’s actually more of a documentary, but still sounds pretty good to me.

The world premiere of the English language version of Meat the Truth will be showing on Monday 19th May – that’s this Monday coming – at the Odeon West End Cinema in Leicester Square, London. It’s a bit of an early start at 10am but well worth it if you can get the time off, or convince your boss to organise a ‘team-building trip’. The good news is that it’s freeeee; all you need to do is email caroline@vegsoc.org with your name, number, address and telephone number by Friday 16th May to be placed on the guest list. There are a limited number of seats that are fast being taken, so getting typing…

PETA’s good friend and amazing animal rights advocate, Pamela Anderson, had an ‘everything must go’ sale of the contents from her Malibu home over the weekend. The proceeds from the garage-styley sale went to none other than… PETA US! Thanks Pam, just a shame I couldn’t nip over to the ‘land of sun’ myself for a nose around, I had my eye on her red float from Baywatch. I could just picture myself running down Southend beach with it…

Image: BikiniPhoto / CC

Here’s a report from a PETA US Director, Michael McGraw, on what happened when Pamela Anderson filled in for Brigitte Bardot at the very important annual press conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter:

“Brigitte Bardot asked Pamela to fill in for her today at her annual news conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter (Brigitte is ill and couldn’t make it). Pam of course did an amazing job. We arrived at Bardot’s offices to a swarm of press. Pam read a 1-page statement about how, as a Canadian, she is appalled that the seal hunt continues…she described in graphic detail how the seals are beaten to death, and encouraged consumers to boycott designers who work with any fur. She then screened a graphic 2-minute video of the seal slaughter. The press were stunned.

“After a few words from the Bardot Foundation’s campaigns director, Bardot herself called and was put on speakerphone…in front of all of the press, she thanked Pamela for continuing on the campaign in her place, and in broken English called Pam her daughter and her Valentine. Pam was so moved; it was very sweet. Pam was then presented with a heart-shaped bouquet of roses and a personal letter from BB. Then off we went to the Canadian embassy (with AP reporter and photographer and about 15 paparazzi in tow) where Pamela asked to see the Canadian ambassador so she could personally deliver a letter from BB to him in protest of the seal slaughter. Photographers went wild. We were turned away at security, but it made a great photo and a shocked guard promised to hand over the letter for her.”

Both of these ladies have done tremendous things to help animals, and you can help too by signing the petition asking the Canadian government to stop the seal hunt.

Image: Javno / Creative Commons

Today is Ash Wednesday! It’s officially the start of Lent and time to give something up. I don’t view this as ‘giving something up’ but in theory this is the perfect time to go vegetarian. It’s what you gain which is so interesting here…

Going veg for Lent is great for the animals, your health and the environment. After relishing in this lifestyle for 40 days, there should be no reason to go back to eating meat and fish – you’ll feel on top of the world and so will the animals spared from your dinner plate.

Check out the PETA US blog VegCooking.com for some amazing recipes to keep your tastebuds tingling over the Lent period and beyond.

Here are some great facts for going veg this lent:

• Compassionate celeb veggies include Moby, Pamela Anderson, Paul and Stella McCartney, Joaquin Phoenix and Natalie Portman.

• Vegetarians are typically slimmer than meat eaters: In a study of over 21,000 people, vegan men weighed 5.9kg less and vegan women 4.7kg less. With the media hype over incentives for the obese to lose weight, doesn’t going veg make more sense?

• More than 850 million chickens are slaughtered for food each year in the UK, whether you go down Jamie Oliver’s and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s free-range route or not. Meat is murder whichever way you look at it.

• It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat – that’s 100 times less per pound!

Good luck and be sure to let me know how you get on. I’d be interested to hear if anyone already had this plan, or vegetarians going vegan for Lent.

If the animals could speak, they would probably say, among other things, “Pam, we love you!” The sexy Baywatch babe saw her chance at spreading the cruelty-free word in a recent interview with The Guardian and grabbed it with both hands, without mentioning much else bar the odd cute comment on jelly beans.

She unashamedly storms right in with the animal rights message in the first answer she gives, claiming her happiest moment in life is, “When PETA picked me to be on their first Times Square anti-fur billboard”. Wow. I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say, “Pam, you rock.” View the full interview click here.