World Animal Day 2024| Wamiqa Gabbi: Animals teach us the art of letting go
On World Animal Day 2024, mother of six dogs, Wamiqa Gabbi opens up on her connection with animals and what needs to be done to give them a safe environment
A proud mother of six dogs, actor Wamiqa Gabbi shares a unique bond with animals and on World Animal Day today, she opens up on her equation with the four-legged beings. “I used to be a non-vegetarian but turned vegetarian over four years ago. The only regret I have is why I didn't do it sooner. The connection I feel with animals now is way more than what I felt a few years ago,” she says.
Having six dogs at home—Phoebe, Milli, Julie, Fluki, Gabbar and Momo—who she rescued and adopted during the pandemic, Gabbi insists she creates cherished memories with them every day. “Momo was the latest entry in our family and I rescued and adopted him during the shoot of Fursat (2023). There was this two-week-old puppy who was injured and couldn't drink her mother's milk. I saw that she would die, so I picked her up and brought her home,” she recalls, adding that going to Masai Mara National Reserve remains one of her most memorable experiences. “There were so many different animals like cheetahs, lions, elephants, giraffes, various kinds of cows, and I was just silently watching them. It was just beautiful,” she shares.
Ask the 31-year-old what makes animals better companions and she says, “I don't know about that, but I definitely find them better than humans as we have somewhere lost our innocence. Animals still possess that innocence and live with it, and I love that. I learn that from them and try to keep it alive in me every day.” The actor also admits learning how to forgive and forget from animals: “It doesn't matter if you have shouted at them or they have done a mistake, they won't hurt you in any way. The next time you call them, they will come back to you with as much love. It's such an impactful message that they teach you about letting go, forgiving and forgetting. All they want to do is love you and I just wish humans could understand that.”
Being an animal lover, Gabbi feels hurt when she sees atrocities against animals, and calls for stringent action. “Since childhood, we have been taught to love and be kind and respectful. But as we grew up, we forgot all those important teachings. How would you feel if you saw a video of someone beating a child? That's how I feel when I see videos of humans' bad behaviour towards animals. India is a secular country, and I am sure none of the religions teach us to be violent towards animals,” she asserts, calling out the need for stronger laws: “If you don't consider violence against animals a crime, that's dangerous. If somebody can kill, beat or molest an innocent animal, how can you trust that person to be safer in our society or around children?”
The actor requests people to just “love animals”. “Once you have love, you will automatically give them food, shelter during rain and clothes during winters,” she says, admitting that she hopes to have an animal farm in future one day. “An image that keeps coming to me is that if I have an animal farm, I want to sleep with my head on a cow's tummy. That's an experience I really want to have in my life,” she ends.