AceShowbiz - Pamela Anderson has been honored for her tireless work to end animal cruelty - she's been named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)'s Person of the Year. The former "Baywatch" beauty was awarded the title after a year in which she drew attention to animal rights issues by speaking to students at the U.K.'s prestigious Oxford University, posing for pictures with her body painted in butcher markings, and filming a TV commercial in which she strip-searches plane passengers for hidden furs and pelts.

The vegetarian actress/model also adopted stray dogs from an animal shelter and called on leaders in India to ban the country's "unspeakably cruel" trade in leather. And her efforts to promote the cause have now been recognized by officials at PETA, who named her their Person of the Year for 2010 on Friday, December 31.

A spokeswoman for the campaign group tells WENN, "For years, Anderson has been penning letters and posing in ads for PETA U.K.'s American affiliate in order to raise awareness of cruelty to animals and demonstrate how easy it is to avoid contributing to animal suffering."