BENGALURU:While several of his fans know of Challenging Star Darshan's love for cinema, it is his affection for pets that drives him back home everyday. They are more like his own babies, notes the animal lover.
Darshan has 24 horses, over 12 dogs including German Shepherds, Labradors, Dachshund and Rottweiler at his farm house. He also has a variety of birds and fish. He has two big aquariums in his house. One of the top stars of Sandalwood, the busy actor makes sure to make time to be with his pets. “If it weren't for shoots, I would have spent most of my time with them. As soon as I have around three hours to spare, I rush to see them. Even when I am at shoot, I keep a track of what my pets are up to over calls or texts through the caretaker,” he says. If any of his pets are injured, he makes sure they get the best medical care possible. “Whether I am at home or on my farm in Mysuru, I always keep a track of what my horses are up to,” he adds.
He has 24 horses and the latest additon to this ever growing family of his is a white horse named Singham.
“I lost Stanley, followed by Badal. I couldn't get over the loss of my pets and didn't want to have anymore animals,” he recalls. But then during a fuction in Dharwad, the organisers welcomed the guests with horses and elephants. “Singham was one of them. He was untrained and caught my attention when I was on stage. He was from Kolhapur,” he says. Darshan started making inquiries about Singham after the show and took him in. He personally takes care of Singham.” He is two years and four months old,” he adds.
According to him, horses and dogs need more care. Ask him, on how he learns his lessons on taking care of pets, and he replies. “Be with them and play, you will know when they are happy or in pain. I refer to a few books too. Whenever I travel abroad and spot a duty free bookstore, I ensure I pick up at least two books on animals.”
Darshan says that he has inherited his love for animals from his father. Darshan loves all animals but isn't fond of cats. “I don't hate them, but I usually stay off them. On my Mysuru farm, I used to take care of a lot of pigeons. These cats would come, and snatch a few birds, kill them and throw them after eating parts of them. That angered me,” he recalls. If given an opportunity, he would like to host all the animals at his house, but says, that he is limited to do so by the law. “We can't keep any Indian species or wild animals nor we can cage them,” he notes. Though Darshan would like to pet chimps, llama and zebra, he plans to host a few ostriches for now. “I like them because they are tall and I love to see them in groups. Ostriches will bond with you more than dogs would,” he says. There's a lot to learn from Darshan about how one should take care of animals.