Pamela Anderson accused the Calgary Stampede of animal cruelty Thursday, the same day she launched a controversial new animal-rights campaign.
Asked to comment on the death of a fifth horse in the Stampede's renowned chuckwagon races, the former "Baywatch" star said she considers the event "very cruel."
"I'm not a fan. I never have been," said Anderson, who grew up in British Columbia.
Already, two horses have died from heart attacks at the Stampede, one has been euthanized after a shoulder injury and a fourth broke its back from bucking too hard. A rider was also seriously injured.
Anderson joins a growing number of animal-rights advocates in condemning the event, which has sparked protests as far as Britain.
The actress, who is in Montreal for the Just For Laughs Festival, also unveiled a racy new animal-rights campaign in collaboration with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a rights group with whom she has worked in the past.
The sexy ad, which features Anderson in a bikini, has already set off a whirlwind of controversy.
Montreal officials refused to give PETA a permit to hold the launch in a public square in front City Hall, saying the ad would contravene the city's policies on gender equality.
"We, as public officials representing a municipal government, cannot endorse this image of Ms. Anderson," Josee Rochefort, an official in charge of issuing permits with the city's television and film office, wrote in an email to PETA.
The poster shows Anderson's body marked up like a butcher's diagram, with various parts labeled "breast," "round" and "rump."
The caption reads: "All animals have the same parts. Have a heart -- Go vegetarian."
Anderson called the city's reaction "silly."
"What I've heard is that people are a little shocked over people calling it sexist," she said in a news conference organized by the comedy festival.
"I think Montreal is known for its progressive attitude and it didn't make much sense."
Still, she admitted the debate has drawn attention to the campaign.
"Everyone's talking about it so we couldn't have asked for anything better. It kind of works to our advantage, actually."
It's unclear whether the message is reaching the public, however.
"I don't get the message, I'm looking at the woman," a man told CTV News when asked what he thought of the poster.
