John Abraham,Pamela Anderson to encourage youth fight animal abuse

New Delhi, Mar 7 (UNI) Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham, Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and music bands Jal, Parikrama and Indian Ocean will now give a tip or two to the youth to help prevent animal abuse in the country.

In a unique initiative to encourage youth in India in doing their bit to fight animal abuse, a new programme will showcase efforts by favourite "pin up" idols like John Abraham, Pamela Anderson, Anoushka Shankar and music bands Jal, Pentagram, Indian Ocean and Parikrama to help animals.

Being launched by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the new programme, which operates via a website, www.petaDishoom.com, seeks to involve youth in efforts to check animal abuse by letting them know what their favourite stars are doing to help animals, offering them prizes for showing compassion to animals and providing resources to youth who wish to go vegan, stop wearing leather and stop buying cosmetics tested on animals.

In its launch version, the programme will include contests in which the visitors can sign up for a chance to win a poster autographed by vegetarian Pamela Anderson, a CD by the band Swami for the person who forwards a video featuring DJ Swami advocating vegetarianisms to most friends and a sexy poster of John Abraham, who wants birds to live free of imprisonment in cages.

The website will regularly feature new actions which people who sign up for 'petaDishoom's "Street Team" can take to help animals and get rewards. It will also include a blog which will be constantly updated by PETA campaigners reporting on demonstrations and other news in the animal rights movement. The youth will also be able to communicate with other young people who share their interest in animal rights through the website's message boards.

''Most young people naturally respect animals; petaDishoom rewards youth for their compassion with awesome prizes and gives them a fun platform to meet other young people interested in animal rights and learn what their favourite stars are doing to help animals,''says petaDishoom's Youth projects specialist, Puja Joshi.

UNI