When Pamela Anderson came to India to appear as a guest on Bigg Boss 4, her heart was captured by the plight of the homeless dogs she saw on the streets. So when Anderson, an honorary director of PETA US, learned that PETA India Chief Functionary Poorva Joshipura was headed to the States to meet with her overseas colleagues and to visit her family, the Baywatch star asked if Joshipura would take along a homeless Indian puppy. Anderson has decided to name her new family member Pyari, or "Loved One". The puppy was rescued from a construction site in Mumbai.

"I'm tickled to be able to give Pyari a loving home", says Anderson. "I already have rescued dogs, and I urge everyone to join me in adopting a homeless desi dog from their local animal shelter or the streets instead of buying a so-called 'purebred'. Desi dogs are stars: add love and they become healthy and beautiful and will love and protect you always."

Every time someone buys a dog from a breeder or a pet shop, a dog on the streets or in an animal shelter loses his or her chance at finding a good home. What's more, "pedigree" dogs have been purposefully bred for certain exaggerated physical traits, making them susceptible to abnormally high rates of health problems, including hip dysplasia, heart defects, epilepsy and eye and ear infections. These painful defects can prevent proper breathing, walking and more. Indian community dogs are hardy and resilient and are not predisposed to health problems.

Join Pammy in helping end the homeless dog crisis by taking the pledge to adopt, and never buy.

PETA India has flown into action with a tempting offer to help keep Kingfisher Airlines out of its financial crisis and flying sky-high while helping meat-eating men rise to the occasion. In a letter to Kingfisher Chairperson Vijay Mallya, we offered to pay the airline to paint our new ad on the sides of Kingfisher's planes: 

Considering that impotence affects more than 50 per cent of our nation's males over age 40, placing PETA's "Want Good Times? Go Vegan. Meat Consumption Leads to Impotence" ad on the bodies of planes is the perfect way to reach and help millions of men who may be having trouble "keeping up" in the bedroom.

In addition to causing animal suffering, eating meat can lead to a host of illnesses and medical conditions, including impotence. A diet heavy in meat and dairy products has been linked to heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity – all of which can cause impotence. The good news is that medical science suggests that all of these diseases, along with impotence, can be prevented or even reversed by eating a healthy vegan diet!

It's pretty obvious that the best way to help animals, protect the environment and avoid turbulence in your love life is to go vegan. 

We haven't heard back from the airline yet, but we can assure you that more than just Kingfisher's jets will be "taking off" if Dr Mallya accepts PETA's offer and spreads this vital message about meat and impotence.    

She's helped you through heaps of headaches and heartaches, and you can always count on your mom to be there for you any day of the week. So this Mother's Day, show your love for her and for animals by surprising her with one of these six unique, animal-friendly presents: 

1)     Faux-Silk Saree: Wrap your mom in comfort and style with an exquisite Banarasi faux-silk or classic cotton saree. The best thing about giving your mom a cruelty-free saree (besides her joy in receiving it) is the fact that you won't be contributing to the "saree" fate of the approximately 9,750 silkworms who are boiled alive to make just one of these real-silk garments! 

2)     Lush Body and Bath Goodies: Pamper your mom with one or some of Lush's many fresh handmade vegan products, such as their patchouli-scented Blue Skies bubble bar, or the gentle yet effective Celestial face moisturiser. With a wide variety of delushious bath and body treats and a firm policy against maiming and torturing animals in archaic and out-of-touch product testing, it's hard not to gush about Lush. 

3)     The Body Shop Fragrances: Whether you choose velvety White Musk Perfume Oil or ultra feminine Moroccan Rose Eau De Toilette, your mom will think you're an angel for giving her such a heavenly scented gift! Check out PETA US' shopping guide for a list of even more cruelty-free companies. 

4)     Baggit Bags and Accessories: Your mom's never been one to follow the herd, so surprise her with an oh-so-classy, cow-free bag, purse, wallet or mobile phone holder from Baggit's leather-free line of must-have merchandise. After all, there's nothing trendy about toting around a tote made from the skins of tortured animals.  

5)     Meatless Mother's Day Meal: Treat mom to dinner. Cook up a fabulous vegan feast or take her out to a local vegetarian restaurant. Your mom has a good heart, and the best way to keep it that way is with a low fat, cholesterol-free vegan diet that wards against heart disease and keeps mom's ticker going strong for many Mother's Days to come.  

6)     Crocs Shoes: Forget shoes that once mooed. Leather production wreaks havoc on the environment. Made from lightweight synthetic materials and available in a variety of styles and colours, Crocs will help mom reduce her carbon footprint—and look good doing it!

Happy Mother's Day!

Scene-stealing canine star Uggie won hearts and awards for his performance in The Artist. Now the world's favourite pup is the star of a PETA India campaign encouraging everyone  always to adopt, never buy. It's a subject close to Uggie's heart because the energetic dog was passed off by three families before he found his forever home – and he knows that every animal deserves the same happy ending. 

Twenty-five million homeless dogs are struggling to survive on India's streets. They go hungry, are hit by vehicles or are abused by cruel people. The luckier ones are in animal shelters waiting for a family to call their own. 

When you are ready to welcome a new animal into the family, please don't support pet stores or breeders. Always adopt – never buy.

This Sunday marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, and PETA India is celebrating with five fantastic ways that everyone can help save the planet and animals.

1) Go vegan. White milk and cheese do not equal green. The dairy industry contributes to climate change, overuse of natural resources and massive water and air pollution.

2) Ditch leather. No one wants to wear a toxic soup of chemicals, but that's exactly what you'll find at leather tanneries, which use chemicals such as formaldehyde and coal-tar derivatives and cyanide-based finishes. It's obvious that wearing dried-up animal skin is all dried up.

3) Post this Earth Day fact on Facebook: A report by the United Nations confirms that a global shift to a vegan diet is vital to combat the worst effects of climate change.

4) Share this photo with your meat-eating friends:  

Meat production requires so much water that you save more water by not eating one 16-ounce steak than you would by not showering for six months. So by going vegan, you can help save the Earth and still help keep it a pleasant-smelling place. 

5) Shop cruelty-free. There are so many luscious body-care product lines out now that are made without harsh chemicals and without harsh animal tests that it's easier than ever to be a green goddess. Check out the PETA US' shopping guide for a list of cruelty-free companies.  

Happy Earth Day!

Animals in university, medical and pharmacy school laboratories and classrooms – and those of us who care about them – have reason for celebration. Following an extensive campaign by PETA India, forward-thinking scientists and other caring people, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has issued guidelines to the Medical Council of India (MCI), Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and University Grants Commission (UGC) to completely stop dissection and experimentation on animals for training both undergraduate and post-graduate students and to use non-animal methods of teaching instead!

This victory was hard fought. In addition to writing letters to all the entities mentioned above, our efforts included gathering petition signatures from university students, progressive scientists and other caring individuals; celebrity involvement; media coverage and online action by you! 

Also key to this victory was our engagement with the scientific community. In September, the Indian National Science Academy organised a brainstorming session in which scientists from all corners of India were invited to discuss the use of animals in education and research. PETA India was the only organisation that was given a chance to be a part of the discussion panel. We shared the information on available alternatives, gave examples of how medical schools in the US and the UK phased out the use of animals in their curricula and submitted a dossier of non-animal alternatives to the president of the MCI. As a first step in the victory, the UGC website published guidelines for phasing out dissection of animals in life-sciences courses.

In January, PETA India sponsored a series of free workshops on alternatives to the use of animals in bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) programmes, which allowed us to reach nearly 500 medical teachers from 120 medical schools across India, many of whom decided to change to non-animal methods of instruction. Then, in February, we submitted a dossier of alternatives to use of animals in pharmacy education to the president of the PCI, who immediately informed us that they would begin the process of removing animals from pharmacy education and invited us to a brainstorming session with officials from the UGC and the PCI.

Finally, MoEF agreed with PETA that animal experiments should be avoided when alternatives are available, according to section 17(d) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. These new guidelines constitute a ban to which all the schools should strictly adhere.

This is an important win, but many animals continue to suffer and die in commercial laboratories. You can help them by urging the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to implement a complete ban on testing cosmetics on animals.

At the Great Indian Dog Show, every dog can have his or her day. On 15 April, a group of dog enthusiasts, in conjunction with Sarvodaya Sevabhavi Sanstha , will host an event in Bangalore in honour of our native Indian community dogs. Paws in the air if you want to see which desi dog will win such delightful categories as "Who has the waggiest tail?", "Who are the Mr and Ms Congeniality of the day?", "Who is the survivor of the year?" and "Who will be the naughtiest puppy of them all?" 

These and other fun categories will be the highlights of the show, as the wonderful dogs strut their stuff in front of the judges. To show that every dog can be a winner, all participants will receive medals proclaiming "Proud to Be an Indian Dog" and given goodie bags.

Like the show's organisers, PETA advises against buying dogs from breeders, which only causes more homelessness and neglect, and instead hopes that the show encourages people to adopt homeless Indian dogs from animal shelters or the street. 

Don't have an Indian dog to enter in the show this year? That can only mean one thing – if you're looking to welcome a dog into your home and if you have the time and the space, it's time to adopt! Fifteen adorable puppies will be up for adoption that day – all are eligible for free sterilisation at 6 months old. Now that's a reason to stand up and bark!

If you live in or near Bangalore, join the fun on 15 April at the Government Veterinary Hospital campus, from 3 to 6 pm. The organisers are promising one heck of a pawty!

It's a happy day for our rat friends: following a series of meetings and letters from PETA India and our supporters as well as a letter from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), Central Warehousing Corporation of India (CWC) has agreed to immediately stop killing rats in cruel aircraft fumigation tests. 

Rats were being caged inside closed chambers filled with poisonous gas. Once the rats died, the fumigation was considered successful. CWC have assured PETA India and the AWBI that they won't use live rats for fumigation operations from now on but will use approved, humane and scientific methods for pest control instead. 

Maj Santokh Singh, Regional Manager of Central Warehousing Corporation of India, wrote, "We approached the concerned authorities intimating them about our decision to stop such practice so as to avoid any violation of the law. It has been informed to the users that there are other methods available to us which could be effectively used to prove the effectiveness of M.Br. gas".

Thanks to everyone who helped with this campaign – your efforts paid off! To keep up to date with other campaigns and opportunities to help animals, please join our Activist Network. 

Whoa! Sunny Leone – yes, the Bigg Boss and Jism 2 star – has just tweeted a photograph of herself in a PETA tee announcing her involvement in a soon-to-be-released PETA ad campaign to help end dog homelessness. 

Sunny, who, along with her hubby, has two rescued dogs at home, wants to urge her fans to get their companion dogs sterilised and to adopt homeless dogs from animal shelters or the street.Sunny's ad with PETA will be released later this year. Keep an eye out for the campaign! And remember: Always adopt and never buy. 

We have all seen the warnings on cigarette packs that remind us that smoking is bad for our health. But the negative consequences of eating meat affect more people than smoking does, and like smoking, meat consumption contributes to deaths from cancer, heart disease and stroke. PETA India has therefore written to the health minister of India just in time for World Health Day asking that graphic warning labels be put on all packages of meat, eggs and dairy products sold in the country, just like the warning labels seen on packs of cigarettes.

Check out the warning labels to see the stark and compelling messages about the dangers of meat consumptions:

A mountain of studies links the consumption of animal products to India's leading killers, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and obesity. And don't you agree that consumers have the right to be informed about the health hazards of consuming meat, eggs and dairy products and how these products are linked to needlessly early deaths? 

Research has found that vegetarians are 50 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than their meat-eating counterparts and have only a fraction of the diabetes rate of the general population.Doctors are now prescribing a naturally low-fat plant-based diet not only to prevent but also to reverse heart disease caused from consuming animal products, and studies conducted by Washington, DC–based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and many other research teams have demonstrated the power of plant-based diets to reverse type 2 diabetes, too.