By Tai Saint Louis
Kimora Lee Simmons will be the latest celebrity to pose nude in support of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), AllHipHop.com has learned.
As part of the new “Be An Angel for Dogs” campaign spearheaded by PETA’s youth organization, peta2, Simmons appears holding her rescued dog Zoe , wearing nothing more than a pair of angel wings.
The campaign launches in print magazines this month to coincide with national Unchain a Dog Month. “Kimora was a delight to work with, the consummate professional and her compassion for dogs is a big part of her life,” PETA’s Director of Media Relations Michael McGraw told AllHipHop.com. “She has rescued numerous dogs off the street and her message is an important one: never leave a dog chained outside. It’s important to bring them in and make them members of the family.”
Thanks to a $20,000 donation by Simmons, PETA also launched an initiative to support low-income families with dogs, providing weatherproof dog houses and emergency medical care the pets might not have received otherwise.
According to peta2, millions of dogs left chained and unattended in back yards across the country every day without the most basic care and exposed to extreme weather conditions.
“When you adopt a pet, it’s not just about can you bring it home,” said Simmons. “It’s about caring for it, vaccinations, getting it spayed or neutered. And I will help you with all of that, I tell people that all the time.
“It’s about education,” she continued. “You cannot just chain up an animal with no food, no water, no shelter, no bedding, no nothing. The chains are heavy. It’s cruel. They need to run and play in a yard. As a community, we need to help.”
Some of the most outspoken names in Hip-Hop have supported peta2’s efforts to raise young people’s awareness of issues relating to animal cruelty, including Russell Simmons, Dead Prez, Chuck D, and The Roots.
Peta2 provides teens and young adults with information about how to become active for animals, combining a web campaign that reaches close to 800,000 subscribers and a grassroots marketing campaign boasting 300,000 street team members.
