While Terrell Suggs is capturing awards for his defensive plays for the Baltimore Ravens, he's also capturing hearts for playing defense for animals. The AFC Defensive Player of the Month stars in a PETA ad that's making January a lot hotter. Quoth the Raven, Nevermore wear fur.

Photo: Gabrielle Revere • Makeup: Demi V.

Suggs slugs it out on the field every week, but as he's quick to point out, "I hit people for a living, and even I couldn't … handle the cruelty to these animals ." The linebacker who challenges every quarterback who crosses his path now has a challenge for everyone: "If you can endure … 10 seconds of the [fur farm] video, you gotta watch it ."

See the video and exclusive behind-the-scenes video footage from Terrell's photo shoot here, and pledge to tackle cruelty by refusing to wear fur.

We learned that Taraji P. Henson rocks when she proved that she'd rather go naked than wear fur by starring in a sultry PETA ad, and tonight the Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor and singer will be honored on BET's Black Girls Rock, in part for her work for animals.

Photo: Don Flood for ArtMix • Hair: Kim Kimble for Margaret Maldonado Agency • Makeup: Mylah Morales for Celestine Agency

Taraji used to wear fur, but one look at a video showing animals being skinned alive for a bit of fur trim was enough to make her clean the corpses out of her closet. In a behind-the-scenes video from the photo shoot for her PETA ad, Taraji said, "I don't think a living being should suffer for the sake of fashion, period. End of story." (I told you she rocks.)

If you're wondering what to watch tonight, why not settle in for an evening of inspiring TV and support the lovely, compassionate Ms. Henson (who can also be seen in the new hit CBS show Person of Interest). Black Girls Rock will air on BET at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (check local listings for other time zones).

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

It's "Flashback Friday," and we're going back to 1996 for some fashion history. But don't worry—it doesn't involve flannel shirts and ripped jeans. The models for this PETA ad that launched 15 years ago today didn't wear anything at all:

Photo: Judson Baker

Boss Models became the first modeling agency to go fur-free when it refused to send any of its talent to photo shoots involving fur. One of Boss' top models, Marcus Schenkenberg (third from the left), went a step further in sending a message that he wouldn't support an industry that genitally electrocutes animals and even skins them alive when he unveiled a plaque at Tunnel, one of New York's most popular nightclubs, that read, "The Only Wildlife Here Is Human—No Fur Coats Allowed."

Take a cue from Boss Models and turn your back on fur. Urge others to do the same by posting this ad on Facebook and Twitter today.

Happy fur-free anniversary, Boss Models!

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

My husband probably thinks that I watch Atlanta Falcons games with him to be supportive of his favorite team, but I'll confess, it's for tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Last Sunday's game was especially cool because toned Tony edged out Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison to become second in career receptions, with 1,104 catches. He now trails only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. But Tony got one reception that Rice never did: a warm reception from compassionate folks everywhere for the naked anti-fur ad that he and his lovely wife, October, starred in.

Tight end indeed. 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Toronto Fashion Week is all about the clothes, but one star was there in the flesh—hers. With her naked body painted to resemble a lizard's skin, Laura Vandervoort, of Smallville and V fame, stars in a new ad for PETA (shot by photographer Nick Saglimbeni) that she unveiled at Toronto Fashion Week while asking her fellow Canadians to shed exotic skins from their wardrobes.

Laura first appeared as a reptile in V, but this time around, she reprised her role as a lithe lizard to help protect the animals from being killed for their skins. "Three or four alligators have to die for one purse," she said in an exclusive interview from the photo shoot. "They nail the snake's head to a tree while it is still alive and peel its skin off. Because they are cold-blooded creatures, they take that much longer to die, so they suffer that much longer. … [Y]ou wouldn't skin your dog to wear to an event, to go out on a date, just for a status symbol. So please, have some compassion for animals."

To see behind-the-scenes video footage from Laura's photo shoot and enter to win a faux-snakeskin bag, check out her full PETA feature.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Update: In response to popular demand, autographed 8-inch-by-10-inch prints of Brooke Hogan's photo are available for $50 (unsigned prints are available for $20), with 80 percent of the proceeds going to PETA. Order by e-mailing cages@red1studios.com.

A new exhibit by celebrated Miami photographer Jordan Michael Zuniga titled "Women in Cages" debuted Thursday night to rave reviews. If this photo from the exhibit, featuring wrestling legend Hulk Hogan's daughter, Brooke, is anything to go by, we can see why the show made such a strong impression:

A dedicated PETA supporter, Zuniga conceived of the show as a way to explore the politics surrounding the treatment of animals. And he's putting his money where his mouth is, donating proceeds from sales of the photographs to PETA. Other photographs in the exhibit feature model Ines Rivero, The Apprentice veteran Katrina Campins, Michelle Pooch, and Tara Solomon, among others.

If you live in the Miami area, check out the exhibit. The photos will be on display at Cafeina in Wynwood through September 10.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Tonight, Dennis Rodman's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame is expected to be complete with a helicopter, acrobats, and colorful costume changes. But one thing that Dennis won't be sporting is fur – and that's no bull.

Dennis was already a Hall of Famer at PETA, as the first man and the first athlete to show his skin to save animals' skin. Even when he's being as bad as he wants to be, Dennis is still pretty darn great.

Congratulations, Dennis, from your pals at PETA!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

When our beauties in the buff graced Bourbon Street to show that baring skin is better than wearing skin, one passerby was so inspired that he shed his shirt and joined in.
 

 
While it takes a lot to raise eyebrows in New Orleans, the ladies (and gent) managed to capture the attention of hundreds of passersby, who walked away with informative leaflets about the cruel fur and leather industries.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Eva Mendes—the gorgeous star of Training Day, Hitch, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Ghost Rider, and most recently the brilliant We Own the Night featuring Mark Wahlberg and our old friend Joaquin Phoenix—is also the new face of our winter anti-fur campaign. Once you’ve had a long look at this stunning new anti-fur ad, take a deep breath and check out what Eva had to say when she sat down with us for this PETA Files exclusive interview about what led her to speak out about the cruel treatment of animals in the fur industry:

How did you come to get involved with helping animals? Did you have any animal companions growing up?

I love animals, but I hadn't had a pet since I was a kid. I recently got a dog and he's not only made me a happier girl—he's made me much more sympathetic to animal rights. I look at my beautiful dog and think, "Of course I'd never eat him or skin him for his fur, so why would I be okay with eating a cow or wearing a cheetah?" It's just not right. It's a contradiction.

Do you have any animals? Can you tell us about them?

I recently got the most beautiful dog in the world! He's the sweetest thing ever. He's fully trained and all his commands are in French. Too cute! So I'm learning French and he's learning Spanish!

What drew you to the idea of working with PETA on our "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" Campaign?

I wasn't familiar with PETA early in my career. I remember having my first premiere in New York City and being so naive that I didn't have a coat with me. My stylist sent me a fur wrap for the evening and I ignorantly wore it.

PETA then wrote me a beautiful letter commenting on my less-than-educated choice. I was so impressed that I vowed to them and myself to never wear real fur on the red carpet or in my life again.

As a fashion icon in Hollywood, do you find that people put pressure on you to wear fur on the red carpet? If so, how do you handle that?

A lot of the high-end designers are unfortunately still big on fur, but I simply let them know that I won't wear it on the red carpet or for photo shoots. People are pretty respectful and don't try to pressure me to wear fur (smart for them … haha).

Can you tell us about the projects you are working on right now and also about your film We Own The Night?

We Own The Night is a crime thriller set in the late 1980s about two brothers on opposite sides of the law. I play the girlfriend of Joaquin Phoenix, a manager for a club involved with the Russian Mafia, whose brother (played by Mark Wahlberg) is a cop targeting the Mafia for drug involvement. It's a great cast, and it was such a thrill to play opposite actors like Joaquin, Mark, and Robert Duvall. I've also just finished filming The Women, which was very cool, and I’m just starting a really amazing project called The Spirit.

What issue involving animals is dearest to your heart? Also, you have a lot of fans out there which gives you a powerful platform to reach people and make a difference: What is your message to them about having compassion and getting active to help animals?

I'd say the closest animal rights issue to me right now is being anti-fur. I feel like in recent years, due to pop culture, fur has made a comeback. Some people still see wearing fur as glamorous and a sign of prosperity. Personally I think wearing a baby chinchilla says, "I'm ignorant," vs. saying "I'm a badass." I don't think you can force people to change their attitudes, but you can help to educate them and to lead by example. … There are way too many amazing faux fur options out there for people to still be wearing real fur. I want people to know that there are options; that killing a poor animal and wearing it isn't cool. But respecting all life forms is cool. Very cool.