PM Modi lauds 'Vantara' wildlife initiative at Reliance in Jamnagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the unique wildlife conservation, rescue and rehabilitation initiative 'Vantara', which he visited this week, and urged people to focus on kindness towards animals.

Modi on Sunday visited Vantara, the animal rescue, conservation and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar district.

Spread over 3,000 acres, Vantara is located at Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery complex. It is a rescue centre dedicated to the welfare of captive elephants and wildlife, providing sanctuary, rehabilitation and medical care to animals rescued from abuse and exploitation.

Modi said in a post on X, "Inaugurated Vantara, a unique wildlife conservation, rescue and rehabilitation initiative, which provides a safe haven for animals while promoting ecological sustainability and wildlife welfare. I commend Anant Ambani and his entire team for this very compassionate effort."

"An effort like Vantara is truly commendable, a vibrant example of our centuries-old ethos of protecting those we share our planet with," he said, sharing pictures from his visit.

At Vantara, Modi said he saw an elephant which was the victim of an acid attack.

"The elephant was being treated with utmost care. There were other elephants, too, which were blinded and that, too, ironically by their mahout. Another elephant was hit by a speeding truck. This underscores an important question -- how can people be so careless and cruel?" he said.

"Let us put an end to such irresponsibility and focus on kindness towards animals," he added.

There were other instances, too, Modi said and added that a lioness suffered severe spinal injuries after it was hit by a vehicle.

"She was getting proper care. A leopard cub abandoned by her family got a new lease of life, with proper nutritional care. I compliment the team at Vantara for the care given to several such animals," the prime minister said.

Vantara is home to more than 2,000 species and over 1.5 lakh rescued, endangered and threatened animals.

Modi explored various facilities at the centre and closely interacted with the various species of animals rehabilitated there.

Vantara said in a statement, "The prime minister patted an okapi, came face to face with chimpanzees in open who were got from a facility where they were kept as pets, hugged and lovingly played with orangutan who were earlier kept in an over-crowded facility, saw up close a hippopotamus which was under water, saw crocodiles, undertook a walk in between zebras, fed a giraffe and a rhino calf."

Modi also saw a large python, a unique two-headed snake, a two-headed turtle, tapirs, leopard cubs which were left in an agricultural field and later spotted by villagers and rescued, giant otters, bongos (antelope), and seals. He saw elephants in their jacuzzi.

With a glass partition in between, Modi sat face to face with snow tigers, white lion and a snow leopard.