Sania Mirza, the No. 1 Indian Tennis player's love for cats is well known. In her recent ad for People for the Ethical Treatment to Animals (PETA), Sania will be seen with her pet cat Posh. Rescued by Sania near her residence, Posh has been an important member of her family for a long time.
The brand-new PETA ad campaign in India aims at promoting adoption of homeless dogs and cats. Targeted at giving them the comfort and shelter of a house, the print ad urges people to rescue stray animals in the vicinity and make them their pet.
The print ad was shot by ace photographer YSN Murthy and shows an extremely stylish Sania posing with her cat, unleashing her radiant smile.
Sania's look has been done by Tamanna Roz and she dons the outfit designed by Esha Amin.
Concerned about animal rights and empathy towards stray animals who survive in miserable conditions, Sania has offered her support to PETA in the past. While growing up in Hyderabad, Sania had expressed her concern about stray animals, at different public platforms, various occasions. "So many animals, especially dogs, are hit by cars and they just lie there for days. That's the reason we need to rescue or take them from a shelter and not buy," said Sania, in an interview to PETA. "Always be kind, not just to people but also to animals," she added.
Across India, millions of dogs and cats struggle to survive on the streets.
Many of them go hungry or are hit by vehicles and abused. Countless others are left to languish in animal shelters because there aren't enough good homes for them. Sania joined the PETA campaign to make people aware about how they can bring joy into the life of a homeless dog or cat. If one has the time, space and resources to provide a stray animal with a lifetime of affection and care, then what's stopping them, quizzed Sania in the interview.
To prevent homeless-animal crisis, PETA also chalked out campaigns which encourages guardians to have their animal companions sterilized.
Sania Mirza is a prominent youth icon and women rights ambassador in South East Asia. From 2003 until her retirement from singles tennis, in 2013, she was ranked by the Women's Tennis Association, as India's No.
1 player, both in singles and doubles. Married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, Sania, partnering with Swiss tennis player Martina Hingis, entered the quarter finals of the French Open, in Paris, on Sunday.
