http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/amanda_...

Swimmer Amanda Beard might be the sexiest and most compassionate U.S. Olympic athlete of all time. Need proof? Check out the anti-fur ad that she did—naked—for PETA.

Even with her busy and demanding training schedule, Amanda took the time to bare her skin to help save animals' skins. With the tagline "Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin. Don't Wear Fur," Amanda posed nude to help raise awareness of the cruelty inherent in the fur industry.

With Beijing hosting the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, Amanda's ad couldn't have come at a better time. An investigation into the fur industry in China—which is where most fur originates—revealed that minks, foxes, dogs, cats, and other animals are kept in tiny wire cages in all weather extremes. ***In the video footage, animals were strangled or bludgeoned, and they were often still alive and struggling when workers flipped them onto their backs or hung them by their legs or tails to skin them.***

The cruelty of the fur industry does not end at the borders of China. Every dog, fox, rabbit, mink, and baby seal suffers immensely, whether they are killed in China, Europe, or North America. "I have seen a lot of the videos, and brings me to tears," Amanda says. "What think is pretty is actually something that's very gruesome and gross."

....cont'd.

***The link contains links to the ad and the pledge. Just to warn you before clicking on the ad, there are disturbing images shown during Amanda's interview.

Thanks for all you do for the animals!