World Animal Day is observed on October 4 and focuses on the wellbeing of all animals. Among the Indian public figures whose animal-welfare work has been recognized by PETA India are actors Raveena Tandon, John Abraham and Alia Bhatt. Their cited efforts range from rescue and adoption advocacy to campaigns about wildlife, animal entertainment and fashion. Cricketer Virat Kohli is another prominent figure in the wider Indian entertainment and public-culture conversation, though he is not a Bollywood star.
What is World Animal Day?
World Animal Day, observed each year on October 4, is dedicated to animals and their wellbeing. Its 2025 toolkit invites people to speak up for companion, wild, marine, farmed and working animals, as well as animals used in experiments, tourism and entertainment. The observance is therefore broader than pet welfare alone.
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World Animal Day says well-known advocates, including Bollywood actors, have helped the day reach new audiences through social-media mentions. Its 2025 toolkit reports more than 90 ambassadors in more than 70 countries; that is the organization’s own count, not an independent measure of campaign effectiveness. World Animal Day’s 2025 social media posts and 2025 animal-welfare toolkit describe the observance and its scope.
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The examples below are based on PETA India’s awards and campaign accounts. They show different ways public figures can bring attention to animal issues, but recognition or advocacy does not by itself establish measurable improvements in animals’ lives.
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| Person and date | Issue and action cited | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Raveena Tandon, 2025 | Meat-free pledge; wildlife and community-animal advocacy; a kitten rescue; and a campaign against buying animals from breeders or pet stores. | PETA India’s 2025 Person of the Year announcement. |
| John Abraham, 2025 and earlier campaigns | Appeals concerning online live-animal trade, circus animal acts and elephant tourism; donation of his Kaun Banega Crorepati winnings to PETA India. | PETA India’s 2025 honorary-director announcement and PETA’s 2023 profile. |
| Alia Bhatt, 2021 | Support for an animal-friendly fashion industry and advocacy for dogs and cats in need. | PETA India’s 2021 Person of the Year announcement. |
| Virat Kohli, 2019 | Calls for the release of an abused elephant and stronger penalties for animal abusers. | PETA India’s 2019 Person of the Year announcement. Kohli is a cricketer, not a film star. |
What have these public figures done for animal protection?
Raveena Tandon: rescue, community animals and consumer choices
PETA India named Tandon its 2025 Person of the Year. The organization cited her meat-free pledge, advocacy for wildlife and community animals, and her personal rescue of a kitten from Mumbai’s streets. It also credited her with a campaign urging people not to buy animals from breeders or pet stores. These are PETA India’s stated reasons for the recognition, rather than a comprehensive independent assessment of her work. PETA India’s announcement gives its account.
John Abraham: campaigns about trade, entertainment and tourism
PETA India named Abraham its first honorary director at the organization’s 25th anniversary. Its 2025 announcement lists his efforts urging Quikr to stop allowing live-animal trade, seeking bans on animal acts in circuses, speaking against elephant tourism, and donating his Kaun Banega Crorepati winnings to PETA India. PETA’s 2023 profile also describes campaigns involving animal listings on Quikr and circus-ticket sales on BookMyShow. These campaign histories are accounts from PETA and PETA India, not independent evaluations of results.
In the 2025 announcement, Abraham said: “Since I first supported PETA India in 2000, I remain steadfastly committed to animal protection.” PETA India identifies him there as an actor and the organization’s honorary director. PETA India’s announcement and PETA’s 2023 profile provide the campaign details.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAlia Bhatt: animal-friendly fashion and companion animals
PETA India named Bhatt its 2021 Person of the Year, crediting her support for an animal-friendly fashion industry and advocacy for dogs and cats in need. The recognition connects animal welfare not only to direct care of companion animals but also to choices made in fashion. PETA India’s 2021 announcement sets out the organization’s rationale.
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Virat Kohli: advocacy beyond film stars
PETA India named Kohli its 2019 Person of the Year, citing his calls for the release of an abused elephant and for stronger penalties for people who abuse animals. Kohli is a cricketer rather than a Bollywood actor, so his example broadens the picture to public figures in Indian popular culture rather than fitting a film-star label. PETA India’s announcement describes the actions behind the award.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can celebrity advocacy do—and what does it not prove?
These examples illustrate several routes into public advocacy: a personal rescue, messages about adoption and purchasing, appeals to businesses or government, criticism of animal use in entertainment and tourism, and support for animal-friendly fashion. A celebrity’s visibility can help an issue reach audiences who might not otherwise encounter it, which is one role World Animal Day’s social-media material describes.
Visibility, an appeal, or an award is not evidence on its own that a business changed a policy, an animal was protected, or welfare improved at scale. The cited announcements document the campaigns and the organizations’ stated reasons for recognition; they do not quantify resulting welfare outcomes. Readers can treat these stories as examples of advocacy while looking separately for evidence of policy changes or on-the-ground results.
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