Here’s a little-known fact about Ke$ha: During a visit to an island in the South Pacific, the pop singer got scabies after trying to separate two abused street dogs that had been glued together.
“I was calling the Humane Society in the middle of the night and nobody was answering,” Ke$ha recalls. “I bitched about it to enough people that they ended up sending a whole help team of volunteers.”
Ke$ha’s passion for helping animals prompted the Humane Society International to name her its first global ambassador in 2011. Since then, she has helped spread the word about such animal protection issues as the trophy hunting of endangered lions, shark-finning, the abuse of street dogs, seal slaughter and cruelty-free cosmetics.
“If you follow my music, you know I’m a bit of a jackass,” says Ke$ha, whose family actively rescues dogs and cats. “But this is one part of my life I take really seriously. Helping animals has always been my goal.”
For her ongoing work with animal welfare, Ke$ha will receive the Wyler Award at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Genesis Awards benefit on March 23 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Past recipients include Paul McCartney, Ellen DeGeneres and Kristin Davis. Funds from the evening will benefit the Humane Society.
In addition to making numerous public service announcements for the Humane Society, Ke$ha actively promotes animal rights issues for the organization on her website and to her followers on Facebook and Twitter.
“She’s always willing to speak out and lend her name and voice for issues we’re addressing at the time,” says Beverly Kaskey, senior director of the HSUS’ Hollywood outreach program. “She has such a wide international reach.”
Ke$ha is planning a tour in support of her 2012 album, “Warrior.” She’ll also be the centerpiece of MTV’s “Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life,” an upcoming TV show that documents her personal life and the making of “Warrior.”