Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated and visited the wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centre – Vantara, near Gujarat’s Jamnagar.
Dream project of Reliance Industries scion Anant Ambani, Vantara is one-of-its-kind home to more than 2,000 species and over 1.5 lakh rescued, endangered, and threatened animals.
The Prime Minister explored various facilities at the centre. He closely interacted with various animals that have been rehabilitated here.
The PM also visited the advanced wildlife hospital at Vantara and saw the veterinary facilities which are equipped with MRI, CT scans, ICUs, among others and also houses multiple departments, including wildlife anaesthesia, cardiology, nephrology, endoscopy, dentistry, internal medicine etc.
Passionate for animals, Modi did not miss a chance to play with and feed various species here, including asiatic lion cubs, white lion cub, clouded leopard cub which is a rare and endangered species, caracal cub, among others.
The white lion cub which was fed by PM Modi was born at the centre after his mother was rescued and brought to Vantara for care.
Last March, Vantara became popular globally after big wigs from around the world stayed here for Anant Ambani’s pre-wedding celebrations.
The caracals which were once in abundance in India are now becoming a rare sight. In Vantara, caracals are being bred under a breeding programme in captivity for their preservations and are released in the wild later.
The PM visited the MRI room at the hospital and witnessed an asiatic lion undergoing an MRI. He also visited the operation theatre where a leopard was undergoing a life-saving procedure after being hit by a car on the highway and brought here after rescue.
The rescued animals at the centre are kept in places which closely mirror their natural habitat. Some of the key conservation initiatives undertaken at the centre include asiatic lion, snow leopard, one-horned rhinoceros, among others.
The PM had several close interaction with various ferocious animals. He sat face-to-face with golden tiger, four snow lion siblings who were rescued from a circus where they were made to perform tricks, white lion and snow leopard.
The PM patted an okapi, came face-to-face in open with chimpanzees who were brought from a facility where they were kept as pets. He hugged and played with an orangutan who was earlier kept in an over-crowded facility, saw a hippopotamus, crocodiles and undertook a walk in between zebras, fed a giraffe and a rhino calf, who was orphaned as her mother died at the facility.
He also saw a large python, unique two-headed snake, two-headed turtle, tapir, leopard cubs which were left in an agricultural field and later spotted by villagers and rescued. The PM later saw giant otter, bongo (antelope), seals and elephants in their jacuzzi.
He also visited the hydrotherapy pools that support recovery of elephants suffering from arthritis and foot problems, and improve their mobility.
He witnessed the workings of the elephant hospital, which is the largest such hospital in the world. He also released parrots which had been rescued at the Centre.
PM Modi interacted with doctors, support staff and workers who are taking care of various facilities at the centre.
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