Pamela Anderson met with Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov at the Moscow Kremlin Monday to discuss issues surrounding wildlife conservation in the country, according to The Independent.
The 48-year-old actress, who is a known animal-rights activist, urged Russia to take action and fight to conserve endangered species of animals in the country. Anderson raked the issue of the endangered Amur Tigers, a legal ban on the killing of baby seals, and the captivity of orcas in aquariums during the round table meeting, which was broadcasted on television.
"I think Russia could really win over some hearts and minds in the West if Russia were to take a leadership position on defending wildlife and the rights of animals," Anderson said, seated at the table with Ivanov and activists from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, according to Agence France-Presse.
"Millions of people around the world are looking for world leaders that have compassion for defending nature, biodiversity and the rights of animals," she said.
This isn't the first time Anderson has met Ivanov, as the two met in Vladivostok during an economic forum in September. Anderson attended a charity auction at the forum, where she auctioned off a red float used by her in the hit American drama series "Baywatch" and donated the proceeds ($45,000) towards wildlife conservation.
Anderson wrote an open letter to Putin earlier this year asking him to block passage of a cargo ship that was apparently carrying more than 1,700 tons of whale meat en route to Japan from Iceland, according to Quartz.
During the meeting at the Kremlin, Anderson also disapproved of Putin's decision to open a new oceanarium in the city of Moscow earlier this year, where killer whales are being held in captivity
"I don't think any whales should be in captivity," she said. "I'm very surprised that they have captured these animals and hopefully they will be set free into the wild."
