Sitarist Anoushka Shankar appears in a new ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) peering through iron bars next to the words “Exotic Animals Belong in the Wild, Not in Zoos”. A long time friend to PETA, Shankar wants her fans at home and abroad to know that animals who are locked up in zoos suffer and that their true natures can’t possibly be appreciated when they are kept in captivity. Shot by photographer Dabboo Ratnani, Anoushka wears an outfit created by international fashion designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla in the ad.
“I choose to entertain people for a living, but animals in zoos are locked in barren enclosures and put on display against their will.” Says Anoushka “They can’t choose, but we can: please, boycott zoos.”
This is not the first time Shankar has helped PETA take a stand against the suffering of animals. She also appeared in a 30-second public service announcement with her iconic father Pt Ravi Shankar to encourage the government to increase the currently weak penalty for cruelty to animals, and she performed at the Hyatt Regency in Mumbai exclusively for PETA to raise awareness of the plight of animals in zoos.
