Madonna dyes sheep for Vogue

Madonna in hot water over dyeing sheep for Vogue shoot

MADONNA HAS ATTRACTED the wrath of animal rights activists after dyeing the fleeces of a flock of sheep on her country estate - for a Vogue photoshoot.

The singer had the sheep dyed blue, pink, yellow and green for a shoot she said was a homage to the legendary photographer Cecil Beaton, who lived on her £9m Ashcombe Estate in Wiltshire during the 1930s and 40s.

Madonna, 49, and her husband Guy Ritchie, 39, insisted the dye was temporary and did not harm the animals.

But the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said that although the dye they used might be safe, others who copy them might not be so careful.

'Why is it necessary and what are they trying to prove?,' said an RSPCA spokesman. 'It is an irresponsible publicity stunt. It sends out the wrong message about how to use animals.'

The shoot was for the book Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People, in which Madonna is one of 36 celebrities profiled.