"We all love our freedom and own space, and that's no different for animals", says Parnell. 

"Instead of seeing them locked up in cages, I'd prefer to see them running through the fields in the wild. I encourage people to protect animals' natural habitat and let them be as they're intended to be," says the South African cricketer. 

The ad was shot by photographer Himanshu Seth, and Ayesha Wadiwala was the hair and make-up artist. 

This isn't the first time that Parnell has assisted PETA in helping animals. He also posed for an ad about the cruel treatment of animals used in circuses. And he features PETA India as one of his causes on his website. 

Hundreds of thousands of animals languish in cages in zoos around the world. Denied everything that is natural and important to them, these animals often express their frustration and loneliness through obsessive, repetitive and even self-destructive behaviour such as pacing, head-bobbing and self-mutilation.