Sex 'kitten' Pam Anderson launches PETA anti-seal campaign

Canada's perpetual sex 'kitten,' Pamela Anderson, is a spokesperson for the controversial group, PETA. People may remember Pamela's support for PETA's recommendation to eat a vegetarian diet, where Anderson only wore a scanty cabbage bikini.

Yesterday's launch of People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) anti-sealing campaign wasn't anywhere as sexy as the "go vegetarian" campaign. Still, 42 year old Anderson showed off her assets in a sleevless white butterfly-print dress and high heels on a cold, wet and blustery day in Toronto Friday, hugging a seal mascot. Anderson told the press

"When I travel all over the world, the Canadian seal hunt is a huge issue that people talk to me about. So I'm trying to save some embarrassment."

While Anderson's presence in Canada did not arouse much Canadian interest beyond some admiration for the wearing of a one-strapped thin dress on a cold and wet day, her weight behind the anti-sealing campaign has drawn appreciation from the rest of the world. According to the L.A. Times, Canada's Fisheries Minister, Gail Shea, took Anderson's stance on the Canadian seal hunt to task saying Anderson did not understand how important the seal hunt is to Canada's east coast population.

“Hollywood celebrities are not going to dictate policy in Canada because we make decisions that are based on science and consultation with Canadians.”

Anderson is originally from British Columbia and she told press Friday that she still maintains a home in Canada. Anderson was doing double duty this week - acting as a spokesperson for PETA and also launching a new clothing line during Toronto's Fashion Week. Anderson's new eco-friendly clothing line, created with Richie Rich, includes shoes, casual clothing and swim wear. The line is called "Muse" and is cruelty free as well as environmentally friendly. Only a handful of counties allow comercial seal hunting, of which the Canadian hunt is the largest. Russia moved to end its seal hunt earlier this year. The Canadian seal hunt runs at different times, depending on the region. Normally harp seal hunting takes place from around March to May. The European Parliament imposed a ban on Canada's seal products earlier this year, which caused Canada to say it would complain to the World Trade Organization. While the world decries Canada's seal hunt, with claims of cruelty and continuing slaughter of baby seals, the Canadian government insists that the hunt is strictly regulated to ensure animals do not suffer unduly. The animals are killed with rifles and spiked clubs. The clubbing to death of seals has prompted people around the world to try to force Canada to stop the hunt.

International Fund for Animal Welfare

A Canadian seal hunter and a seal. The International Fund for Animal Welfare said this seal was injured by the hunter, and got away. It is not know how badly injured the seal was.

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Seal furs are used for clothing, while the fat is used for things such as pharmaceutical omega-3 fatty acid supplements. The ban does not include seals from subsistence hunters, traditional uses of the seals or marine management. The ban has angered and worried Canada's Inuit and east coast seal hunters, who say they rely on the seal hunt for their livelihoods. Even though the killing of baby harp seals (the white-furred seals) is supposed to have ended in 1987, organizations such as Canadian-based Harp Seals claims that there were 60,000 baby harp seals killed in the 2008-2009 seal hunt. While Canada is challenging the European ban, it is not yet known how the ban will affect this year's upcoming seal hunt. The 2008-2009 hunt was worth over $3 million. Anderson is known for her former role in the tv series, Baywatch. She is also known for her naturism, a sex tape involving her former husband, Tommy Lee, and her on-again, off-again relationship with Tommy Lee.