Modi feeds lion cubs as he inaugurates controversial private zoo run by powerful Ambani family

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Prime minister Narendra Modi was seen feeding lion cubs as he inaugurated India’s largest private zoo run by the country’s most prominent business family.

The zoo in the western state of Gujarat, inaugurated by the prime minister to mark World Wildlife Day, is a pet project of Anant Ambani, 28, the son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.

He refers to it as a private wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility with 43 species “rescued from around India and the world”.

It is a controversial project, however, with wildlife experts questioning the sourcing of the animals.

Mr Modi was welcomed to the sprawling sanctuary, spread over 3,000 acres, by Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani, son Anant Ambani and daughter-in-law Radhika Merchant Ambani.

The zoo is officially called Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC) but is commonly known as Vantara, meaning “Star of the Forest”.

Mr Modi “interacted with several cubs of Asiatic lions, including a white lion, a rare clouded leopard and a caracal, and fed them milk and food”, a release by Vantara said.

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In a post on X, Mr Modi hailed Vantara for its work and shared pictures of his visit.

“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.

Photos and a seven-minute video showed Mr Modi playing with orangutans, feeding white lion cubs, patting an okapi, and posing with adult lions and tigers.

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The zoo has faced scrutiny from wildlife experts and groups since before it was unveiled last summer during Anant Ambani’s extended wedding ceremony.

Vantara is not open to the public yet and Anant Ambani has personally led high-profile tours for guests like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, journalists and influencers in recent months.

Critics have raised questions about the legality and ethics of relocating wildlife from various parts of India to the facility in Jamnagar with investigators alleging that many of these animals were trafficked, not legitimately rescued.

In 2021, the Assam State Zoo transferred two black panthers to the private facility under an exchange programme approved by the Central Zoo Authority. The Assam zoo was to receive four zebras from Israel in return, according to a report in The Times of India.

The transfer sparked controversy and protests from wildlife activists and politicians in the northeastern state, which is ruled by Mr Modi’s party.

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Bobbeeta Sharma, spokesperson for the opposition Congress party in Assam, condemned the "hush-hush" transfer and said that wild animals in captivity should not be subject to the interests of large corporate houses.

A similar transfer of 21 elephants in ambulances from Assam state sparked outrage among conservationists with many questioning why the animals were made to travel more than 3,500km. Animal welfare activist Apurba Ballav Goswami asked, "If Reliance Group is really worried about the welfare of such elephants, they should open such care centres in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, instead of taking them so far away from their homes”, according to a Deccan Herald report.

An investigative report by Himal Southasian magazine by M Rajshekhar in March 2024 alleged some of the animals smuggled into India through the porous borders in the northeast ended up in Vantara while many were intercepted by authorities.

A report for the Washington DC-based Pulitzer Centre, “The Costs of Reliance’s Wildlife Ambitions”, said the Al Bustan Zoological Centre in UAE, from where Vantara revealed it sourced animals in its annual report, is a privately-owned breeding centre, with an interest in “endangered, exotic and endemic” species and the Kangaroo Animals Shelter is also a live-animal exporter.

Questioning the transfer of wildlife to Vantara, the report noted that Gujarat’s Sakkarbaug Zoo had sent 101 leopards to Jamnagar from March 2021 to March 2023 without making clear the reasons for such a large transfer.

Mr Rajshekhar wrote: “I asked Greens how it ensures these animals are not wild-caught, and how it ensures that the entities it sources from will not go on to acquire more wildlife to replenish the animals they send on”.

He said they replied that “Our organisation is strongly opposed to any disturbance of wildlife, whether its illegal trade, poaching or targeted destruction of habitat”.

Daniel Stiles, an independent illegal wildlife trade investigator, questioned the claims of rescue and rehabilitation claims in his article “Greenwashing on an industrial scale with billionaire's private zoo in India”. He alleged that the animals were being purchased from UAE and Mexico.

“I think what has been happening is that Anant Ambani has an obsession to be known as the greatest saviour of animals in need the world has ever known, and also as the creator of the largest rare and endangered exotic animal collection the world has ever seen, a magnificent place to entertain and impress the world’s richest, most famous and powerful people in the world. People such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he told The Independent.

Mr Stiles implied that these factors diminished the positive image of Vantara, framing it as more of a prestige project than a genuine wildlife rehabilitation effort.

In a statement, Vantara previously denied the allegation and said: “Animals are accepted at our facilities solely from recognised zoos, rescue centres, conservation breeding centres, statutory governmental departments, and elephant owners registered as per the provisions of the Wild Life Protection Act.”

Despite the concerns, Vantara received the prestigious “Prani Mitra” National Award – India’s highest honour in animal welfare – in the ‘Corporate’ category, conferred by the government of India last week. The award recognised the work of Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust (RKTEWT), a charity dedicated focused on the rescue, treatment, and lifelong care of elephants, that works with Vantara for elephant rehabilitation.

The Independent has reached out to Vantara and Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust for comments.