Brigitte Bardot Dies at 91, Remembered in Andorra for Dog Shelter Activism

French cinema icon and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot died on Sunday aged 91, prompting tributes in Andorra for her role in exposing dire conditions at the country's dog shelter two decades ago.

In early 1999, amid severe overcrowding at the La Comella facility, authorities culled around 50 dogs, including 15 shot dead. The incident reached Bardot, who by then led her namesake foundation and was a prominent voice against animal cruelty. She sent a sharply worded letter to then-Agriculture Minister Olga Adellach, labelling the killings "disgusting and unacceptable." Bardot threatened to launch an international media campaign that could "seriously tarnish" Andorra's image, urging the government to ensure humane care for surviving animals and halt further euthanasia.

Local activists, aware of her advocacy, had approached her for support. Her signed letter formed part of a dossier criticising the administration, which helped galvanise reform. Authorities soon backed emerging groups like Laika and relocated the shelter to better facilities.

Bardot had transitioned from 1950s-1960s stardom—starring in cult films like *And God Created Woman* (1956), *The Truth* (1960) and *Contempt* (1963)—to full-time activism. She quit acting before 40, though her sultry vocals on the 1967 single *Je t'aime... moi non plus*, originally with ex-partner Serge Gainsbourg, lingered in public memory. From 1970, she campaigned globally, including against Canadian seal hunts, with a focus on dogs.

She stayed engaged in animal causes until the end, despite later controversy over backing far-right figures like Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine, praising Vladimir Putin, and remarks seen as racist, Islamophobic, homophobic and anti-feminist.

No further comments from Bardot on Andorra appear after the shelter upgrades.