Pamela Anderson pleads with Maharashtra MLA to free temple elephant

The former Baywatch beauty wrote a letter to politician Vinay Kore, a member of the legislative assembly of the Indian state of Maharashtra, to ask for the elephant to be removed from Jyotiba Temple in the Maharashtra district of Kolhapur and sent to a sanctuary in order to spare him further suffering, after suffering cuts and injuries at the hands of his handler.

Pamela Anderson

In the note, sent via People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, she writes, "I am in tears over the plight of the little elephant, Sunder, who you so kindly gave to Jyotiba Temple with the best of intentions... He is the age of one of my sons, and as sensitive as anyone''s child. Sunder must be rescued without delay. May everyone, including me, count on you, please, to save this youngster?"

The mother-of-two is the latest star to join former Beatle Paul McCartney in the campaign, who sent an urgent appeal to Forest Minister Dr Patangrao Shripatrao Kadam to help free Sunder from his chains.

The actress'' letter came after PETA''s discovery that Sunder was abused by his handler, who jabbed him in the right eye with an ankus (a sharp, hooked metal weapon), confined him to chains with sharp spikes and kept him alone inside a dark shed.