MONTREAL -
Pamela Anderson didn't do any dancing around when she was asked Thursday what she thought of the death of a fifth horse at the Calgary Stampede's renowned chuckwagon races.
"I think this is very cruel," the former "Dancing With the Stars" contestant said of the race, which is one of the main attractions at the Calgary event now underway.
"I'm not a fan. I never have been."
So far this year, two horses have died from heart attacks, one was euthanized after a shoulder injury and a fourth broke its back from bucking too hard at the Stampede. A rider has also been seriously injured.
The disdain of the former "Home Improvement" cast member echoes that of a growing number of animal welfare organizations, who say the event is cruel to animals. Protests have spread as far as Britain.
Anderson, who gained fame as lifeguard C.J. Parker in TV's "Baywatch" in the 1990s, is an outspoken animal rights activist who says she has cared about critters since she was a child. Although the news conference was organized by the comedy festival, Anderson used it to launch a new animals rights campaign sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a group she often supports.
The announcement was done at a trendy downtown restaurant after the city refused to give PETA a permit to do it at a public square in front of City Hall in Old Montreal.
In the advertisement, Anderson's bikini-clad body is covered in paint and mimics a butcher's diagram - with parts of her flesh marked up with words such as "breast," "round," and "rump."
The caption reads: "All animals have the same parts. Have a heart - Go vegetarian."
City officials called the ad sexist and refused to issue a permit. Anderson called their reaction "silly."
"What I've heard is that people are a little shocked over people calling it sexist," she said. "I think Montreal is known for its progressive attitude and it didn't make much sense."
She did see a positive side.
"Everyone's talking about it so we couldn't have asked for anything better. It kind of works to our advantage actually."
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