Pamelyn Ferdin

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Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American animal rights activist and former child actress. She is best remembered for her roles as Felix Unger's daughter, Edna, on the TV sitcom The Odd Couple, as well as in fantasy and science fiction movies and television series. These roles included Mary Janowski in the Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead", Laura Gentry in Space Academy [1], and Mary Constable in the supernatural thriller Daughter of the Mind. Ferdin also provided the voice of Lucy Van Pelt in the early Peanuts cartoon specials. In a curious foreshadowing of her later animal rights activism, her character Amy in the 1971 film The Beguiled turns against the Clint Eastwood character when he kills her pet turtle. She was nearly cast as Regan in The Exorcist, but producers wanted the role to go to a relative unknown, so Linda Blair (like Ferdin, Blair is an animal rights activist) was chosen. She co-starred opposite Lassie from 1972 to 1974 (sources vary on exact dates), at the end of the dog star's original television series. Her character, Lucy Baker, a deaf adolescent who initially had a pet wolf, loved and interacted with a variety of animals, including horses and a llama.

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Ferdin left the acting world in the 1980s and became a registered nurse. She married surgeon and fellow animal-rights activist Jerry Vlasak in 1986. They have no children.

In 1996 she quit her job as director of public relations for the Center for Animal Care and Control, a nonprofit organization under contract to the New York City Department of Health, claiming mismanagement by the agency. Since that time, other animal advocates outside of and formerly within the CACC have made similar allegations.

In August of 2004, Ferdin accepted the presidency of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty USA, according to statements filed under oath in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. The incumbent, Kevin Kjonaas, resigned after being indicted on charges of conspiracy and interstate stalking. [2]. When Kjonaas and six other SHAC activists were jailed in 2006, Ferdin vowed to continue the campaign. According to Salon.com she defines her current role as "a squeaky-clean representative for SHAC USA", but warning, "[p]eople, I think, are going to get hurt. There's going to be a lot of violence." [3]

On January 11, 2000, Ferdin faced up to six months in jail after being found guilty of possessing an elephant bullhook at an August 1999 protest at Pierce College in California. Circus Vargas had set up near Pierce College, sparking protests regarding cruelty in circus training methods. Ferdin's arrest was based on a local ordinance that makes it a misdemeanor to carry a staff or rod greater than 1½ inches in diameter while engaging in protest. This law dates back to the civil rights era and was originally enacted to protect police from overly aggressive demonstrators. She received 30 days. Chip Arthur, the Vargus elephant trainer, was using the exact same bullhook to hit a pregnant elephant, named Lisa, not 100 feet away from where Ferdin was standing.[citation needed] No charges were brought against Arthur for the same offense that Ferdin was charged with.

On June 22, 2006, Ferdin was sentenced to 90 days in jail for trespassing and "targeted demonstration" outside the home of an employee of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services. She stated that the conviction "is not going to affect my speaking out and exposing the atrocities occurring at our six city shelters." [4]

In December 2006, Ferdin's group the Animal Defense League, Los Angeles (ADLLA) announced that it had been awarded $75,000 against the city of Los Angeles for an anti-SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) motion. [5]

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