Mumbai, Sep 14 (IANS): The Virat Kohli Foundation has inaugurated a trauma and rehab centre for stray animals at Madh, Malad here.

Earlier this year, Indian skipper Virat Kohli had said that he was setting up two animal care facilities in Mumbai. Kohli credited his wife Anushka Sharma for making him see the difficulties faced by stray animals in the city.

Bollywood superstar Anushka Sharma has lent her support on numerous occasions to animal welfare, and animal rights. Inspired by Anushka's passion for animals, Virat, through his foundation, is looking for opportunities to help stray animals.

"I admire Anushka's dedication towards the welfare of animals, and I have drawn my inspiration from her. It is our dream to create a safer space for the stray animals of our city. We are excited to announce that the centre is ready, and hope to make a difference through this noble initiative," Kohli said in a statement.

The Centre will treat injured stray animals in the area, and a team of ten experts will be in charge of running the operation, in collaboration with Vivaldis Animal Health and Awaaz Voice of Stray Animals.

Meanwhile, Vivaldis Animal Health founder and CEO Kunal Khanna said, "We announced our association with the Virat Kohli Foundation and Awaaz earlier on April 21 and the entire team has worked tirelessly to ensure we are ready with our first Trauma and Rehab centre just five months later. I am extremely grateful to Anushka and Virat for their steadfast support to stray animals, as we continue to build on our association, with many more initiatives in time to come.

"Vivaldis is committed to continuous innovation in the field of pet healthcare while working towards building safe spaces for the not so privileged stray animals," Khanna added.