Terry Anderson, journalist and former hostage, is retired but fighting for animal rights

Terry Anderson

Terry Anderson, who was held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years by Hezbollah when he was chief Mideast correspondent for The Associated Press, is now an animal rights' activist, Courteney Stuart reports for WCAV-TV in Charlottesville, Va. Anderson, who retired this year from teaching journalism, is working with Virginians for Change to Animal Legislation, "which is pushing for tougher animal welfare laws" in response to a raid and rescue last year of a Virginia farm where at least 71 horses, 28 cats and seven dogs were removed, either dead, starving or in poor health.

Anderson told the station, "You just do what you have to do. You wake up every day, and you summon up the energy from somewhere, even when you think you haven't got it. ... There is a lot of unnecessary cruelty on the local level here that needs to be addressed and isn't being addressed."

Anderson, who lives near Orange County, Virginia (Wikipedia map) is involved in other activities, Stuart writes. "He's honorary chair of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and as a Marine veteran, he started a charity that has built more than 50 schools in Vietnam."