Russia Wants to Capture Wild Orcas, and Pamela Anderson Isn’t Having It

Pamela Anderson has sent an urgent letter on to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to call off the country’s plan to capture 13 wild orcas and an untold number of beluga whales from the Sea of Okhotsk and subject them to a lifetime of captivity.

Citing Putin’s advocacy for wildlife and the strong opposition from scientists and members of the public, Anderson writes:

“Taking intelligent marine mammals from the wild and selling them to marine parks—especially those in China, where no animal-welfare laws exist—is inhumane. … America’s history with marine mammals is far from great, but Russia can do better. Will you ensure that Russian orcas and beluga whales are protected and halt plans to take them from the Sea of Okhotsk?”

Anderson has spoken up for animals countless times, and in 2015 she also joined hundreds of PETA U.S. supporters in protesting SeaWorld’s plan to display even more orcas in concrete tanks, which marked the beginning of the end for SeaWorld’s sordid orca-breeding program.

Testimony included comments from marine biologists, activists, and actress Pamela Anderson http://t.co/8VfrYpsXEa pic.twitter.com/ZEynkCLWuE

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 9, 2015