Betty White honored in wax for love of animals

Betty White joins the wax collection at Madame Tussauds museum in Washington today. The Betty White figure will pay tribute to her love for animals.

Actress and animal lover Betty White is joining the collection in wax at the Madame Tussauds museum in Washington.

The museum says a new wax figure of the 91-year-old White will be unveiled Wednesday. Washington Humane Society CEO Lisa LaFontaine will unveil White's figure to pay homage to the "Hot in Cleveland" star's passion for animals.

"My interest in animals started in the womb," the 90-year-old actress told The Associated Press in May 2012. "I think my mother's and father's started in the same place. They were animal nuts long before I came along."

Last year, Betty White published a children's book about animals, "Betty and Friends: My Life at the Zoo."

It's a mostly picture book compiled over the years with facts about animals. Since 1974, White has served as a trustee of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. So she gives readers a tour of animals at the Los Angeles Zoo and many other leading zoos across the country.

She closes her book with parting shots of a giraffe's behind, followed by a bear's behind. White says that she wrote her book to let people know about all the good zoos do.

"So many people say, 'Oh, I hate zoos. I want all the animals to be back in their natural habitat,'" she said. "Well, you know what we've done to their natural habitat.

White is the latest celebrity to take her place among the U.S. presidents in the Madame Tussauds collection. White is best known for her roles on "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and is currently on the hit "Hot in Cleveland" on TV Land.

The Humane Society also will have its mobile adoption center at the museum Tuesday for visitors to adopt animals.

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