Pamela Anderson writes to PM - halt leather trade

The former "Baywatch" star, an activist of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), arrives in India Monday night.

She has written a letter to the prime minister asking him to urge people to reject all leather products, said a press statement Monday by the organisation.

"The reverence and love for animals felt by people in your beautiful country is deeply moving, yet one thing fills me and all compassionate people with horror: India's leather trade.

It still profits from the skins of animals who have been transported to and killed in slaughterhouses, including illegal ones, in unspeakably cruel ways," Anderson wrote in the letter, a copy of which is with IANS.

The actress is coming to India to be a part of Colors' reality show "Bigg Boss 4", and hopes she can make a difference by spreading the message of banning leather trade in the country.

"I am calling on every kind person in India and throughout the world to join me in rejecting all leather products in order to help put an end to the suffering. I am asking every individual - man, woman and child - never to buy leather shoes, bags, jackets, belts or anything else made of animal skin," she said.

"I love India and the reverence for animals held by most Indians. I know they support me in asking: Will the government act at all to help these cattle?" she added.

Anderson will be in "Bigg Boss 4" for three days, and hopes she can take back "some impressions of the country" during her short stay.