Children at Mumbai’s Jamnabai Narsee International School received a special visit from actor Dia Mirza, who speaks through Ellie, a stunningly realistic life-size animatronic elephant, as part of a unique People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India child empathy initiative. The elephant blinks her eyes and flaps her ears, just like a real elephant and travels to schools to tell them the story of all the baby elephants separated from their mothers. Ellie’s “personal” story has a feel-good ending, as she is rescued and lives happily ever after at a sanctuary. The idea is to sensitize the children about animal suffering and to make them understand that most animals belong to nature and it is not fair to confine them to a place with chains. Diya Mirza is UN Secretary-General Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals and UN Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador.
Says Dia, “It is a conscious choice for me to support and work with education initiatives that create such moments. Mirza is also an ambassador for the Wildlife Trust of India, a board member of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, and a global ambassador for IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), finds a seamless resonance with Ellie and the cause of safeguarding our elephants. “Captive elephants used for circuses, rides, weddings, ceremonies, and other forms of entertainment are chained when not in use, not fed adequately. They stand in one position on hard concrete surfaces that leads to painful and crippling foot ailments, bone and joint diseases, let us not be inhuman with the animal planet, let us come together and do something before it is too late”.