PETA

Knut passed away in his habitat this morning of still-to-be determined causes at the age of 4. A rep for PETA tells TMZ they contacted to Berlin Zoo months ago to alert them to the fact that Knut was being "terrorized" by three female polar bears -- including his own mother!

The rep tells us, "PETA Germany repeatedly asked zoo authorities to move Knut away from the three females to a different location. His premature death could possibly have been avoided. Polar bears don't belong in captivity."

A rep for SeaWorld tells us, "If Mr. Lee’s information on Tilikum and SeaWorld’s artificial insemination program for killer whales comes from PETA we’re not surprised that it’s wrong. PETA is as careless with facts as they are extreme in their views."

As we first reported, Lee had fired off a letter to SeaWorld demanding they release Tilikum the orca back into the wild. In his letter, Lee also stated that he learned the "sick and twisted" info about the cow vaginas from SeaWorld's own director of safety.

But the SeaWorld rep notes, "The process of collecting semen for [artificial insemination] doesn’t differ in any meaningful way from the techniques employed in managing livestock or other species for zoological display."

"Contrary to the charges made by PETA and repeated in Lee’s letter, our trainers do not now nor have they ever entered the water with Tilikum for this purpose. The safety of SeaWorld staff and the welfare of our animals are our highest priorities."

The Motley Crue drummer just fired off a letter to SeaWorld -- accusing the park of keeping Tilikum the whale in captivity because, "he is your chief sperm bank."

Tilikum -- as you may know -- made national headlines for being involved in the deaths of three people.

But Tommy is especially pissed about the way he believes SeaWorld extracts semen from Tilikum -- saying, "We know from SeaWorld's own director of safety (as well as videos on the web) that the way you get his sperm is by having someone get into the pool and masturbate him with a cow's vagina filled with hot water."

Lee continues, "Even in my wildest days with Motley Crue, I never could've imagined something so sick and twisted."

Tommy and his friends at PETA have called for the whale's release into the wild. SeaWorld has always maintained that the animals receive expert care at its parks.

A rep for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals tells us that Gaga "has a hard time being 'over the top,' and wearing a dress made from cuts of dead cows is offensive enough to bring comment."

But the rep notes that if the dress was made from actual meat -- and not the fake stuff -- it wouldn't take long to go sour ... saying, "After time spent under the TV lights, it would smell like the rotting flesh that it is and likely be crawling in maggots."

It was all part of PETA's "Don't Let Your Dog or Cat Become an Octomom" campaign.

Nadya Suleman urged everyone to make sure dogs and cats don't have multiple litters -- adding, "Humans of course are much different."

If you're Octomom Nadya Suleman, why not take five grand from PETA? Every little bit helps when you're fighting off foreclosure.

In exchange for the cash, PETA gets to advertise in Octo's front yard. The group will put up a sign encouraging people to spay and neuter their pets.

Perfect for the home of an amazingly fertile mother of 14.

The District Attorney in Brooklyn -- where Mike's pigeon show "Taking on Tyson" will be filmed -- tells TMZ they received a letter claiming the production violates New York's gambling laws ... because it profits off animal racing.

We're told they're currently looking into the claims.

Animal Planet tells us there won't be any wagering on the show ... but a rep for PETA -- who wrote the letter -- claims making any money off animal racing (including Tyson's salary) is illegal, so the point is moot.

TMZ has learned PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- is temporarily bagging plans to run the ads, which feature an image of Tiger next to the line "Too much sex can be a bad thing." The ad was intended to promote pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered.

PETA tells TMZ, "In light of conversations we have had with Mr. Woods' attorneys, plans to run our billboard are on hold at this time."

PETA sounded alarms this morning when news broke of the giraffes deaths, pointing fingers at the Banjoko Wildlife Preserve in Page, Arizona -- where the giraffes had been living since 2006 -- claiming the preserve was responsible for the deaths due to "improper feeding and/or exposure to cold temperatures."

TMZ spoke with the Banjoko Preserve founder, Freddie Hancock, and she tells us -- "We suspect foul play with the giraffes. There is no other explanation for their deaths. There is currently a police investigation going on. Someone has hurt these giraffes, they were healthy."

A necropsy is currently underway to establish an official cause of death -- but Hancock insists the animals were well taken care of: "There is no sign of infection, abuse, or neglect."

The giraffes -- named JJ and Rambo -- had been at the center of a vicious legal battle between Banjoko and the local city council over a $100,000 bond to cover the animals in case of emergency.

PETA says of Paris: "The Chihuahuas, ferrets, and kinkajous she's paraded through her home in the past were not accessories, and pot-bellied pigs aren't either."

The good news: Paris told us she doesn't think she'll get swine flu because she doesn't eat pork.

When asked for comment, here's the statement PETA released:

"He isn't the Buddha, he's a human being and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act."

We're told the fly's carcass has been moved to a secret location ... we're guessing the bottom of a White House trash can.

Anderson, who's been an obnoxiously loud animal activist and PETA spokesperson, is on board to help celebrate the upcoming opening of a strip club -- which happens to be part of a New York steakhouse.

FYI -- steak comes from slaughtered cows.

But the craziest part of the whole thing -- neither Pam nor PETA refuse to acknowledge the moral dilemma. Here's PETA's statement: "Pam is not a host but may be attending as an invited guest, and since steakhouses nowadays have some of the best salad bars and veggie options around, we're sure she'll find plenty to eat should she attend."

So what happens if KFC -- with whom Pam waged war against -- opens a strip club and "invites" Pam as a guest? Would she go if they too had a nice salad bar? We're guessing if the price is right...

Calls to Pam's management have not been returned.

Animals were probably harmed in the making of this picture.

When Neverland Ranch was essentially dismantled a year ago, a bunch of Jacko's pets -- including four giraffes -- were sold to an Arizona couple that wanted to start an animal sanctuary.

PETA claims the giraffes are stuck in cages barely as wide as the animals are tall. They wrote Jacko a letter asking him to help pressure the owners into doing something more humane.

The couple that owns the animals says the giraffes have been moved to their new 150 x 150 ft. digs -- and the animals will have an even bigger space to do whatever the hell it is that giraffes do when their 185 acre sanctuary is up and runnning.

We got hold of this pic of Linda Hogan, who not only looks like a cougar, she apparently had several killed for her getup.

We don't know when it was taken, but she's covered in dead animals from head to God knows where.

Here's the irony. We're told Linda, who looks suspiciously like 87-year-old Carol Channing, is a PETA supporter, however, now we're thinkin' she meant pita supporter.

Maybe her 19-year-old boyfriend likes it furry.