Mumbai, Jan 21 (IANS): Actor Dino Morea, who is associated with a multi-city pet festival, has stressed the importance of being a pet-friendly country.

"I believe it is very important to have a pet-friendly country. With over 18 million domestic pets and millions of stray animals, we know that this planet is supposed to be shared equally by every being. Just because humans can talk and animals can't, it is taken undue advantage of and we treat them as second class citizens," Dino said in a statement to IANS.

"We need to be more ethical in our approach towards animals and teach our future generations from the start about the importance of loving a pet and treating them equally. Not only does it teach them major characteristics and help to build their personality, it also ensures a safe and secure environment for our furry friends."

His comment comes just days after two nursing students were allegedly seen in a video mercilessly beating puppies to death in a medical college and hospital in Kolkata.

The Pet Fed fest, founded by Akshay Gupta, concluded its second Mumbai edition in association with DOG'n JOY on Sunday.

Dino said he has always loved the idea of a pet carnival.

"The number of pet parents are also increasing every passing year and it's such a wonderful transformation to witness. We get to educate so many new and potential pet parents," he added.