Vantara, by 28-year-old Anant Ambani, the youngest child of centibillionaire Mukesh Ambani (worth $111 billion), and his wife Nita, is touted to become the world’s largest zoo and rehabilitation center. Passion project of Reliance Industries’ youngest scion is the result of his sheer love, empathy, and vision for animal welfare. In addition to the power of money, Anant has a heart that feels for the voiceless. His 3,000-acre animal shelter in the Indian state of Gujarat and their hometown, Jamnagar, is proof of what a man with a big heart (and several billions) can achieve. He has established a retreat for animals that is almost 4 times the size of New York City’s famed Central Park. Who would’ve thought this lush green area was barren less than three decades ago? With Vantara becoming the talk of the town, animal welfare has gained much-needed traction, drawing people’s attention toward an issue that has existed long before Instagram and putting India on the map for the ambitious wildlife preservation project.
Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Anant Ambani said, “Vantara is a combination of the age-old ethical value of compassion with the excellence of modern scientific and technological professionalism. I see Jeev Seva (animal care) as seva towards the almighty as well as humanity.” His dedication to animal welfare is palpable as he stated in a CNBC-TV18 Exclusive, ‘I work for 15-16 hours a day… Give 1-1.5 hours to animal support, no matter what.’ Let’s deep dive into the details-
What is Vantara?
Vantara, meaning ‘Star Of The Forest,’ is located inside Reliance’s Jamnagar Refinery Complex and spans 3,000 acres. The venture, no small feat, is supported by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation to deliver a haven for abused, injured, and endangered animals in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
The Game-Changing Animal Rescue Program employs a staff of 2,100, who work at the conservation center, which includes state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, a hospital spread over 1.5 lakh square feet, research centers, and academic institutions. The facility will be open to the public as a non-profit venture, for the purpose of education, conservation, and pro-rescue work of endangered species.
Conservation at the heart of it all-
Over the years, the program has successfully saved more than 200 elephants, alongside numerous reptiles and birds, critical species such as rhinos, leopards, and crocodiles. It must be a moment of pride for 28-year-old Anant Ambani, who started rescuing animals at a very young age. He accompanied his grandfather, Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani, to slaughterhouses to rescue goats, chickens, and cows in the late 90s. In an interview, Ambani said, ‘I was in the 10th standard when we rescued an elephant.” He added, “My mother gifted me two animal ambulances when I was young to help animals in Mumbai.”
The champion of animals, Anant is a man of action and not only words who has proved his passion by rescuing tigers from the hunting lodges of South Africa, Pygmy hippos from Sri Lanka while the country was undergoing a financial crunch, over 1,000 crocodiles from a severely overcrowded and congested facility in Tamil Nadu were brought to safer shores. Wild animals like 200 Indian leopards and lions were rehabilitated at the centre.In addition, collaborations with international rescue centers in Mexico and Venezuela make the mission feasible and flourishing. The caring businessman once transported as many as 40 Cheetahs from Africa to Ahmedabad airport in a cargo plane for the comfort of the wild cats who were to get rehabilitated in Asia’s biggest zoo at Jamnagar. To date, Vantara has provided a safe haven to more than 2,000 animals, spanning 43 different species. The food for these animals is locally sourced from farms, which has also resulted in employment and growth outside of Vantara.
Technology for the voiceless-
Vantara is a state-of-the-art center that Anant Ambani spearheaded after visiting and getting inspired by more than 30-40 facilities worldwide. It boasts an ICU, MRI, CT scan, X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, dental scalers, lithotripsy, dialysis, and advanced technology for live video conferences during surgeries. For larger mammals like elephants there is a separate dedicated facility that’s much larger according to the size of the animals.
World’s biggest elephant hospital-
The most mind-blowing segment of Vantara is the Elephant Rescue Centre, which is also the biggest in the world. It rescues, rehabilitates, and revives the plight of elephants endangered due to relentless hunting for their tusks.
The Elephant Hospital, spanning 25,000 square feet, comes equipped with advanced medical facilities, including portable X-ray and laser machines, a pathology lab, and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. No fewer than 500 staff look after the humble giants, and Vantara has over 200.
Per Scoopwhoop, 30 vets, several nutritionists, and pathologists work tirelessly to offer treatments such as hydrotherapy pools, a large elephant Jacuzzi, and even Ayurvedic massages. The center boasts a special kitchen spanning over 14,000 sq. ft. solely dedicated to preparing a nurturing diet for their betterment. Professor Dr Petra Wolf, a renowned expert was roped in from Germany last year, for the nutrition of each elephant. He is looking after their oral health and diet with a team of five nutritionists from India to prepare the food for the rescued elephants. An elephant needs at least 330-375 lb. of vegetation daily, which is locally sourced.
A wedding, kickstarted with a worthy cause –
Anant Ambani has brought all matters close to his heart to take shape in the location that’s most dear to him – Jamnagar, Gujarat. It is here that he will commence the pre-wedding festivities of his impending nuptials to fiancée Radhika Merchant. He has marked this special moment in his life by coinciding it with the launch of this mammoth conservation effort. By his own admission, this terrific initiative is only 10% of the heir’s vision.
The pre-wedding festivities are a grand affair that will bring business tycoons, A-list celebrities from India and abroad, world-class performers, and VVIPs under one roof for a three-day extravaganza. The festivities are a mind boggling affair bringing bigwigs like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Ivanka Trump with performances by American pop star Rihanna and magician David Blaine.
