India, Oct. 4 -- A ctor Soha Ali Khan, who is a pet parent to Oreo, her Maltese-Shih Tzu mix, says she has always felt an instinctive connection with animals. On World Animal Day today, she recalls how her late father, former cricketer, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (Tiger Pataudi), insisted on having pets at home because he believed it was important for every child to grow up with an animal. "That's why while growing up, we always had dogs around us. It teaches you to deal with grief because you will inevitably outlive your pet and have to deal with that grief as a child. When Masti (her husband, actor Kunal Kemmu's dog) passed away, it was difficult for Kunal and me, but for Inaaya (Naumi Kemmu, her nine-year-old daughter), it was the first time she had encountered loss and the finality of death," she shares. Reflecting on her own childhood, which was often spent in the company of animals, Soha says, "I grew up spending a lot of time in Bhopal and Pataudi surrounded by farm animals. At our home in Delhi, we even had guests like lizards and mice." She adds, "The first connection I had with an animal was with a little mouse that lived in my bedroom. City children today would be freaked out, but I was comfortable sharing my room with a mouse." Those experiences also shaped the way she viewed animals: "I understood animals weren't there to play with; they just existed, and we didn't need to interact excessively with them. I was curious but respected that there could be distance between us and animals." Of all animals, the 47-year-old says she finds elephants to be the most fascinating. "They are massive but also intelligent. I'm intrigued by how they form bonds; I would love to observe them in their natural environment without being intrusive. I've seen mothers protecting their babies as well as how they flap their ears when angry, during a trip to South Africa. It was terrifying."...