MONTREAL

Brigitte Bardot writes to Mayor Tremblay to complain about animal cruelty

The Canadian Press Published Friday, May 6, 2011 5:28PM EDT Last Updated Monday, January 11, 2016 7:05AM EST

Former actress and now animals rights activist Brigitte Bardot smiles after a meeting on the environment with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, unseen, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007. (AP / Jacques Brinon)

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MONTREAL- Brigitte Bardot has written a letter to the mayor of Montreal condemning the cruelty that animals endured recently at the Berger Blanc animal shelter.

In a letter published on her website Friday, the 76-year-old actress says viewing a recent Radio-Canada report about the Berger Blanc was more than she could bear.

Video of cats and dogs suffering as well as images of questionable euthanasia practices prompted criticism from the city and the province.

Bardot says employees who can be seen hurting the animals should be judged for acts of cruelty and "sadism that evokes Nazism."

Bardot is urging Mayor Gerald Tremblay to terminate the contract with Berger Blanc, a privately held company that has animal-control contracts in several Montreal boroughs and surrounding towns.

The mayor responded Friday by saying he has already taken several measures, including making sure a city employee is present when an animal is euthanized.