Celebrity Animal Rights Activism: Celebrities Seek to End Inhumane Treatment of Animals

Celebrity activism isn't all that new, but now more than ever, celebrities are using their status to make a difference and call attention to the atrocities being perpetrated against the world's animal population. Whether they live in the sea or on land, these celebrities have made it their business to take a stand and do the right thing for those who don't
have a voice.

Celebrity animal rights activists and advocates are many, but some of the most outspoken champions of animals include:

Hayden Panettiere:

Hayden has been involved with animal rights since 2007 when she joined Sea Shepherd, a sea conservation organization, and is opposed to the slaughter of whales and dolphins. Hayden has been very proactive in her activism efforts and has peacefully interceded during dolphin hunts in Japan and those efforts really came to the public's attention when she was involved in a confrontation with Japanese fisherman.

In 2007, Panettiere received the Compassion in Action award from PETA for her efforts in Japan.

Panettiere returned to Taiji - whose waters is where the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove was filmed - in March hoping to meet with the town's mayor and representatives from the fisheries union. However, she and those in her company, including anti-whaling activist Jeff Pantukhoff, were denied entry to the town hall.

According to X17 Online, Pantettiere said, "We are trying to peacefully come up with better ideas as to how to generate income and utilize the nature here. We've been to Taiji before and it's a beautiful place with beautiful wildlife."

Panettiere has credited her celebrity status for giving her a platform for her activism. She is the spokesperson for Save the Whales Again campaign for the Whaleman Foundation and supports the Orca Network, Save the Whales, and the Humane Society.

Heather Mills:

Heather Mills has been greatly responsible for ending the import of dog and cat fur in the European Union and has traveled to Canada to call attention to the country's annual seal hunt. In 2007, she was in Somerset with Viva! - a British animal rights group - to film and publicize a pig farm that uses farrowing crates - these crates house sows during gestation, birthing (or farrowing), and nursing periods. The use of these crates is considered by many to be inhumane because they allow no room for movement. The resulting video was put up on the internet.

Mills donated $50,000 to be shared by Shepherd Conservation Society and the Animal Rights National Conference in 2008 and is on the Doris Day Animal League advisory board. She also supports FARM and Farm Sanctuary.

Joaquin Phoenix:

Phoenix, a lifelong vegan, is a member of PETA and In Defense of Animals. He has campaigned on behalf of both organizations and narrated a film, Earthlings for Nation Earth. Earthlings was filmed at a variety of locations including puppy mills, slaughterhouses, animal shelters, and pet stores. He was awarded the Humanitarian Award in 2005 during the San Diego Film Festival for his work on the film.

Phoenix lead a campaign in 2005 that would ban chaining of dogs in California and wrote letters to politicians asking that they support the bill (Senate Bill 1578).

In March, Phoenix recorded an video for PETA in which he urges celebrities not to wear exotic animal skins. According to Starpulse, PETA intends to send copies of the video to trend-setting stars such as Jessica Simpson, Victoria Beckham, and Sarah Jessica Parker in hopes it will change their fashion habits and will sway the public from buying those goods.

In addition to PETA and In Defense of Animals, Phoenix also supports FARM.

Ellen DeGeneres:

DeGeneres has been a lifelong lover of animals and in 2008 she learned the about the atrocities taking place in the food industry. That same year, she received the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Founder's Award for her dedication in promoting kindness and compassion towards animals.

In 2009, she and Portia de Rossi were honored by the Humane Society with the Wyler Award, named for the late Broadway star and animal lover Gretchen Wyler. That same year, she was named Woman of the Year by PETA.

Ellen DeGeneres frequently uses her talk show as a platform for animal rights issues and helped to get California's Proposition 2 passed, making it mandatory for farm animals being raised for food to have comfortable living quarters.

Most recently, DeGeneres is teaming up with United States Postal Service's Stamps to the Rescue campaign. They will be begin selling sets of stamps with images of dogs and cats that have been rescued from animal shelters beginning April 30. For DeGeneres' part, the company she is part owner of, Halo Purely for Pets - a pet food company - will be donating a million servings of their Spot's Stew to needy animals in shelters across the country.

Ellen DeGeneres also supports American Wild Horses Preservation Campaign, Farm Sanctuary, Society for Animal Protective Legislation, and the Humane Society.

Steven Seagal:

Actor Steven Seagal has been very outspoken against animal cruelty and has said in the past that his method of activism is shaming companies into changing.

Seagal has worked with PETA to discourage fur trade, wrote to India's Prime Minister about legally protecting cows, wrote to the Thailand leadership urging them to enact a law to prevent the torture of baby elephants, and was able to get the Premier of Taiwan to sign legislation limiting animal cruelty in that country.

In 1999, Seagal received the Humanitarian Award from PETA and continues to contribute to that organization.

Sarah McLachlan:

Songstress Sarah McLachlan has been a lifelong animal lover and is the spokesperson for the ASPCA. The ads she has done - featuring her songs Angel and Answer - has yielded the ASPCA more than $30 million in donations since 2006. She also did an ad for British Columbia's SPCA, raising more than $1 million.

According to PetMD's blog Haut or Not, McLachlan's support is "by way of a simple ad asking for donations..."

Pamela Anderson:

Actress Pamela Anderson has been a vegetarian since seeing her father clean an animal he had killed during a hunting trip. In 1999, Anderson was the first recipient of the Linda McCartney Memorial Award for animal rights protectors for her campaign against fur.

In 2001, she began campaigning against fast food chain KFC and boycotted the Kentucky Derby in 2006 because of their support for KFC.

Anderson is an active member of PETA and has taken part in several of their campaigns, posing nude for their "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign in 2003 and again in 2006 when she bared it all in a window display at Stella McCartney's boutique in London.

Perhaps one of her most notable campaigns, and one she has been very active in, has been against Canada's seal hunting practices, and according to Access Hollywood, has called the hunt "barbaric and cruel" and an "embarrassment" to Canada.

According to an article on Anderson's website, The Daily Beast's Celebrity Impact Rankings place Anderson's work with PETA as the third most valuable celebrity charity impact at a whopping $4.8 million.

You don't have to be a celebrity to get involved with animal rights, but being a celebrity has its perks. People listen when stars talk and make their pleas for the cause of their choice. Many people will donate to these causes just because their favorite celebrity is a spokesperson or a member of a particular animal rights group.

Have you donated today?

Sources:
Monsters and Critics, Steven Seagal Biography
Haut or Not, Why We Love ... Sarah McLachlan
Access Hollywood, Pam Anderson Launches Anti-Seal Campaign
LA Times, Ellen Degeneres loves rescue pets, stew and stamps; Portia de Rossi speaks out for feral cats
Starpulse, Joaquin Phoenix Records Animal Rights Video For PETA