Anushka Sharma announces plans to open animal shelter outside Mumbai

Actress Anushka Sharma, who turned 30 yesterday (she was born on 1 May 1988), announced on social media that she dreams to open a shelter for abandoned animals outside Mumbai.

Sharma was named Person of the Year in 2017 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for speaking up and campaigning for animal rights.

In her Instagram post, the actress wrote about why she was inspired and moved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to stand up for all living beings.

"I was deeply moved by something His Holiness The Dalai Lama said and his words have stayed with me since then. It incepted an idea deep within me and has propelled me to act on my thoughts of working for animals and trying to make the world a better place for them. His Holiness had said, 'Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to love and not die, so do other creatures.' On my birthday, in my own little way, I'm starting something that will give our fellow living beings equal rights, equal care and equal love.

“I'm building an animal shelter just outside Mumbai — a home for those animals that are stranded, left to fend for themselves, have to brave harsh surroundings. A home where they will be cared for, loved, protected and nurtured,” Sharma wrote.

Previously, she has asked her fans and followers to celebrate a noise-free Diwali for the sake of animals, and has spoken up for imposing a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai. Further, her clothing line, NUSH, doesn’t carry any leather or fur items.