Bollywood power couple and animal lovers Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are sure to receive a wide variety of wedding gifts, but Animal Rahat NGO’s gift may be the most unique one so far. In honour of Alia and Ranbir’s recent nuptials and their love for animals, the NGO has named two rescued horses after the power couple.
Animal Rahat is a non-profit organisation that offers free aid for horses who pull carts or are used at weddings, donkeys who are used by the brick kilns, and bullocks who work in sugar mills. Complementing the couple on going horse-free on their big day, Dr Naresh Upreti, chief operating officer, Anima Rahat, says. “Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor chose to keep their big day horse-free. A wedding is a perfect occasion for anyone to spare a thought for and show love to all our fellow sentient beings.”
A marriage represents a new beginning, and as these horses have had a new beginning, Animal Rahat thought their new life would be the perfect way to mark the start of Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s journey together as husband and wife.
Shedding light on the inseparable horses, which the non-profit organisation named after Ranbir and Alia, Upreti shares that the mare who has been named Alia was being used for wedding ceremonies and was in a terrible condition when she was found. She was anaemic, had multiple infected wounds, and was so severely malnourished that her ribs and hip bones jutted out.
On the other hand, the stallion named Ranbir was confiscated from the Gateway of India in Mumbai, where he was being used for hauling a heavy Victoria carriage. He suffered from painful swelling on all four legs and acute osteoarthritis. Both the horses are now living at one of Animal Rahat’s sanctuaries, where they receive nutritious food as well as vital veterinary care and have lots of horse friends to run around and play with—but most of all, they choose each other.
Horses are very sensitive to noise, and wedding ceremonies are full of it. Excited crowds, firecrackers, and loud music terrify these animals. The auditory onslaught can cause them to panic, which can lead to accidents. When horses aren’t being forced to endure the chaos of wedding ceremonies, they’re often confined to filthy sheds full of biting insects.
Their legs are often tethered, which sometimes means they can’t turn around or even lie down comfortably. Horses are also often controlled through the use of spiked implements which lacerate their mouths. And Animal Rahat aims to alleviate the suffering of these animals by giving rest to the lame by offering relief to the sick and injured.
