It’s that time of year again; time for Marie Claire’s annual Naked issue. It will, they say, “raise some eyebrows and possibly some whiskers” as 27 celebrities take a naked stand against animal cruelty and mistreatment.
The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) have been selected as the beneficiaries of this year’s awareness campaign and like the now famous African Tails calendar, shot by Josie Borain, the Marie Claire shoot features animals starring alongside the nude celebs. A fundraising picnic for Saturday, March 5, is planned to raise funds for the cash-strapped NSPCA.
“Human abuse of animals in SA makes for grim statistical reading and reflects on our tragic past; if human life counted for so little it’s no surprise that animal lives became almost worthless,” says Aspasia Karras, editor of Marie Claire. “SA’s quadrupeds cannot help themselves, but we can, and in helping them we restore our humanity. We can’t all be St Francis of Assisi – I have adopted two fox terriers from the NSPCA and I am often brought to the end of my patience by the two of them, but living with them has made me an infinitely better human, certainly a more tolerant one.”
Celebs taking part in the campaign include
- Actress Tanit Phoenix photographed in Los Angeles with rescue dog Sampson
- 5FM DJ and Supersport presenter Sias du Plessis with rescue dog Tod
- Freediver Hanli Prinsloo with her dog Mila
- 5FM DJ Euphonik with rescue dog Kyron
- Gold medallist SA swimmer, Cameron van den Bergh, with rescue dog Pippa
- Generations actress, Kagiso Rakosa, with rescue dog Shadow
- Griquas wing Rocco Jansen, with his dog Georgie
- Model Shashi Naidoo
- 2OceansVibe bloggers and radio DJs Seth Rotherham, Ryan Scott, Simon Hartley, Richard Hardiman, Bruce Good and Luca Vincezo, with their dog Marvel
- YFM DJ and TV presenter Dineo Ranaka
- Bloggers Allegro Dinkwanyane from Faraitoday.com and Lelo Boyana from Justcurious.co.za with rescue dog Fifi
- On-line networkers Alex van Tonder a.k.a. Cape Town Girl (Capetowngirl.co.za), Kim Gray (Kimgray.co.za) and Samantha Walker a.k.a. La Muse (Popyacollar.co.za) with Viva
- Hip-hop musician JR with rescue dog Tippex
- Rob van Vuuren and Louw Venter (Cornè and Twakkie) with Hobbes, Beth and Bella
- Actress and Pasella presenter Vicky Davis with rescue dog Bart
- 5FM DJ and MK presenter Elma Smit with rescue cat Kermit
- Isidingo actress Hlubi Mboya with her boyfriend Kirsten Arnold with rescue dog Tsunami
“It is tremendous to see so many people being so supportive of the protection of our animals and showing care and compassion,” says Chris Kuch, PR manager for the NSPCA. “We are delighted to be part of the campaign to pull together and to make South Africa a better place for all our animals. Together we can make a real and lasting difference.”
The mission of the SPCA movement in South Africa is to prevent cruelty to animals and ensure their welfare. It enforces over 90 per cent of the animal welfare legislation in South Africa. Over the past year:
- 24 972 animals were adopted from the SPCAs nationwide
- 17 655 lost or runaway pets that were taken into the care of the SPCAs were reclaimed by their owners
- 50 212 inspections were carried out by the SPCA movement
- 2 major outreach projects were conducted by the NSPCA. These aimed to rescue, sterilize, vaccinate, deworm and medically treat animals in areas that have no access to the help of the individual SPCAs or veterinaray services
- It can cost from R60 000 to R180 000 a month to operate one small to medium-sized SPCA
- For more information visit www.nspca.co.za
Watch the video here: Marie Claire: behind the scenes on the Naked Issue
