New Orleans - About 50 dogs, some of them abandoned by their owners after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, are on their way to new homes in Virginia courtesy of an animal welfare group and actress Pamela Anderson.
Anderson, the honorary chair of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), was among those walking the dogs at a news conference on Monday at New Orleans' City Park.
Since the April 20 drilling rig explosion that sent millions of litres of oil spilling into the Gulf, some south-eastern Louisiana animal shelters have reported large increases in the number of pets brought in. Many are brought in by people who have lost jobs or income because of the spill.