Zeenat Aman requests film industry colleagues to avoid bringing wild animals on set: ‘I was brought to tears recently’

Zeenat Aman shared a post on Instagram.

Veteran actor Zeenat Aman has appealed to her film industry colleagues to “avoid bringing wild animals onto set at all costs”. Taking to Instagram on Friday, Zeenat shared a bunch of pictures. She also shared how it brought her to tears when she saw an elephant standing on “burning asphalt, bejewelled and bedecked” on her set. (Also Read | Zeenat Aman recalls she broke her mother’s heart when she eloped)

Zeenat shares old pic with Dev Anand

In the first photo, Zeenat posed with a bunch of miniature elephant dolls placed on a table. She looked at them lovingly. The next picture was a screenshot of an article from 1973. The headline read: Calcutta raises over ₹94,000 for WWF. A picture showed Zeenat, the late actor Dev Anand, with WWF officials.

Zeenat in tears after seeing elderly elephant on sets

Sharing the post, Zeenat captioned it, “I was brought to tears recently when I arrived on set to find an elderly, domestic elephant on the scene. She was standing on the burning asphalt, bejewelled and bedecked… and she stayed there all day as the cameras rolled. I was bound by contract to do my job, but I am absolutely guilt-ridden that such a majestic animal suffered for my job and your entertainment.”

Zeenat talks about animals

Zeenat shared how the plight of animals has always distressed her. She added, “The plight of animals, both domestic and wild, has always distressed me. I do not believe that any wild animal belongs in captivity, especially not an animal as perceptive, intelligent and emotional as an elephant. From the little I have learnt about this species, I know that they are highly sentient, social animals. To keep them in captivity is to willingly support cruelty.”

Zeenat asks colleagues not to avoid wild animals on set

Zeenat requested her colleagues to avoid bringing wild animals onto the set. She further wrote, “It is my sincere and urgent appeal to my colleagues and compatriots in the film industry to avoid bringing wild animals onto set at all costs. We are so lucky that India hosts the majority of the Asian elephant population in the world, and that this species is our National Heritage Animal. We are also blessed to have numerous organisations in India that work towards the welfare and conservation of this incredible animal. I am sharing a few resources from such organisations on my stories. I will be elated if you peruse them.”

Zeenat on her concern for wildlife

“My concern for wildlife is an old story – please swipe to see a snippet from 1974 – but it is only now that I am in a position to make more concerted appeals on these matters. And since I could not bear to pose with the beautiful ele that was subject to the chaos of our set, here is a picture of me with ‘my’ elephants that I have collected over the years,” she added.

“In honour of this sentiment, today I would like to hear about your favourite wildlife encounters! Please leave a comment, and remember that the operative word here is “wild”. No comments about captive wild animals please! This includes performing monkeys, bottle-feeding tigers, talking parrots and all the rest. Signing off with hope for a kinder world where non-human species are afforded the dignity they deserve. ZA,” concluded her post.

Zeenat’s next film

Fans will see Zeenat in Bun Tikki. The film is directed by Faraz Arif Ansari, and also stars Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol. Jyoti Deshpande, Dinesh Malhotra, and Marijke Desouza will produce the film under the umbrella of Manish Malhotra’s Stage 5 Productions.

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