Anant Ambani’s commitment to animal welfare derives from ancient traditions and sacred texts

Anant Ambani is in the news for the grand festivities planned in Gujarat’s Jamnagar in the run-up to his wedding. As a scion of the Ambani family, he is also being keenly watched as he leads Reliance’s ambitious renewable energy project in Jamnagar, which hopes to make the company Net Carbon Zero by 2035. In itself, that is quite a handful to keep him in the limelight.

But then, like father, like son. Anant Ambani does not rest on his laurels, and is always on the prowl to do something path-breaking, even something different. The Reliance Group may be his business, but wildlife conservation is his passion.

Unlike in the case of many others, for whom demonstration of love for animals is a fad or a fashion that should be flaunted, Anant Ambani’s commitment to animal welfare derives from his deep connect with our ancient traditions and sacred texts—about which he has unhesitatingly and proudly spoken about frequently. Rightly so, he points to the elevated status of animals and birds in our religious traditions. They are revered and even worshipped, as are trees and mountains.

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The stature of the cow in Indian ancient scriptures is well known. But no less is the importance of preserving and respecting other animals and birds. Sacred texts say that each animal has a spark of the divine. The Bhagavad Purana, for instance, says: ‘Deer, camel, donkey, monkey, rats, creeping animals, birds and flies – one should consider them like one’s own children, and not differentiate between one’s children and these creatures.’ The Divine is, thus, present in all beings; in human and animal and birds and reptiles—indeed, in trees and leaves and branches as well—as Anant Ambani has often said.

And, he has put his money where his heart is. He has unveiled plans for perhaps one of the world’s biggest animal shelters, named Vantara—in, yes, Jamnagar, in the precincts of Reliance’s refinery complex, which is also a green belt. Vantara, meaning Star of the Forest, is a sprawling, 3,000-acre habitat for rescued animals. A host of world-renowned wildlife experts are being roped in for the grand enterprise. Vantara plans to collaborate with the likes of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), besides others.

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This state-of-the-art conservation centre includes (and would over time include) the most modern healthcare facilities, hospitals, research units and academic institutions devoted to animal welfare. Vantara, incidentally, has already begun operations, and has so far rescued hundreds of elephants and many reptiles and birds from exploitation and poaching. While every such species attracts Vantara’s attention, additional focus has been given to leopards, rhinos and crocodiles, which face a greater risk of poaching and extermination.

The canvas is large, and is in keeping with Reliance’s oft-demonstrated desire for the ‘biggest and the best’. Take, for example, the Elephant Rescue Centre, which is part of the Vantara project. It features ultra-modern shelters (day-and-night enclosures), hydrotherapy pools, and even a massive jacuzzi for the treatment of arthritis in the pachyderms! With a 500-member strong staff that includes veterinarians, nutritionists and pathologists, it has one of the world’s largest elephant hospitals. The hospital building is impressive; at 25,000 metres in height, it is equipped with advanced medical facilities (portable X-ray and laser machines, a pharmacy, path lab and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. There is even a facility for massage and hot oil therapy for elephants, supervised by experienced Ayurveda experts.

Vantara’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is looked after by a 2,100-strong staff. There are shelters for over 200 leopards recovering from accidents, or kept safe from poaching. The centre has rescued more than 1,000 crocodiles from overcrowded facilities in Tamil Nadu. All in all, Vantara has reportedly rehabilitated over 2,000 animals across 43 species.

Anant Ambani has reasons to be happy with his venture. He said in an interview that he had personally not seen the kind of advanced and elaborate facilities for animal care anywhere in the world, which has come up at Vantara.

For the sceptics who believe that Vantara could soon be turned into a wildlife safari entertainer, Anant Ambani’s rebuttal is categorical. In fact, he even dismissed speculation that there would be a wildlife jungle safari for the guests who will be attending his pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar. In an interview, he said that an excursion would be arranged for strictly educational purposes, and not for recreation or entertainment.

Already on the front foot, having rescued and cared for many animals, birds and reptiles, Vantara is hoping to partner with the Zoo Authority of India and other government organisations in a bid to enhance the functioning of the 150 odd zoos in the country, by providing them better training and healthcare infrastructure.

When Anant Ambani says, ‘We hope Vantara becomes a beacon of hope globally and can showcase how a forward-thinking institution can help the global biodiversity conservation initiatives,’ there is more than hope in that statement. Given his commitment and Reliance’s track-record, it is a commitment that is poised to be fulfilled.

The writer is an author and a public affairs analyst. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.

Disclaimer: Firstpost is part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.