Vantara, billed as the world’s largest animal rescue centre, houses hundreds of elephants and big cats, along with giraffes, chimpanzees and orangutans, behind guarded gates in India’s western state of Gujarat.
But the sprawling facility has also faced persistent criticism over how it acquired its unprecedented collection of animals, including critically endangered species.
After years of scrutiny, including a Supreme Court-ordered investigation that found no evidence of wrongdoing, Vantara says it is changing course by halting imports, bringing in international experts and focusing more on protecting wildlife in its natural habitats.
“Vantara has pivoted,” chief executive Vivaan Karani told AFP. “Wherever animals can be effectively supported in their own countries, we increasingly believe our resources should travel, rather than the animals.”
The centre, whose name means “Star of the Forest”, is located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and is closed to the public. AFP was granted rare access for a two-day tour of the facility, which includes expansive glass-fronted enclosures housing some of its 200 lions, 200 cheetahs and 150 tigers.
The centre is the brainchild of 31-year-old Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, one of Asia’s wealthiest business groups.
Spanning 3,500 acres across multiple sites near Reliance’s oil refinery, Vantara houses more than 260 former working elephants, which roam teak plantations and bathe in lakes. Its facilities also include large tanks for hippos and sections for reptiles and birds, including penguins.
“I see God in my animals, and Vantara is my temple,” Anant, a devout Hindu, has said, arguing that every living being deserves dignity.
Vantara says it houses more than 150,000 animals representing over 2,000 species from at least 30 countries. However, annual reports record substantially lower figures, fuelling concerns among activists about the transparency of its operations.
Its acquisitions have also drawn scrutiny from the secretariat overseeing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the international treaty regulating wildlife trade.
Last year, the CITES Secretariat said some animals traded as captive-bred might not have been bred in captivity, urging reforms to ensure Vantara did not inadvertently encourage the illegal capture of wild animals.
Among the cases raising concerns were critically endangered tortoises sent by a German commercial breeder to a defunct zoo in Togo, then to Belgium, before arriving in India.
Spix’s macaws, a Brazilian parrot species extinct in the wild and featured in the 2011 Disney film Rio, were transferred from Germany without the consent required from Brazil.
Critics have described Vantara as a “private megazoo”. Last month, 27 international conservation organisations welcomed its pledge to change course but called for measurable reforms, including full public disclosure of the origins of every animal.
Karani cited a 2025 investigation ordered by India’s Supreme Court, which found no evidence of any breach or offence, and described the facility as a “modern-day Noah’s Ark”.
“Vantara has never broken the law,” he said. “There is nothing other than welfare at the core of this.”
However, questions remain over individual animals. AFP saw a Tapanuli orangutan, listed as captive-bred, sitting alone in an enclosure while holding a coconut.
The species is the world’s rarest great ape, with around 800 individuals remaining. Experts say they know of no captive-breeding programme for Tapanuli orangutans, which are native to Indonesia. Vantara believes the animal may have been incorrectly identified as belonging to the species.
Vantara’s animal-care facilities have drawn praise. Veterinarian Kushal Konwar Sarma showed AFP an elephant hospital equipped with hydraulic operating tables and hydrotherapy pools for retired working elephants recovering from injuries.
“The facilities are unmatched not only in India, but I would say, the world,” Sarma said.
He is among more than 4,000 staff working at the centre, including teams responsible for preparing food for the animals.
Vantara took in its first animal in 2009: Gauri, an Asian elephant used for begging in Rajasthan whose condition was described as very poor. Her keeper, Kailash Nayak, joined the centre when she was brought there.
“Life here is much better — for both of us,” he said.
The centre’s intake of animals accelerated in 2019 and during the Covid-19 pandemic, when tourism stalled and zoos struggled.
Vantara attracted international attention in 2024 when Anant’s lavish pre-wedding celebrations there drew guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump, with Rihanna performing. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the centre in March 2025.
In August, Vantara appointed former CITES chief John Scanlon to chair its new governing council, which oversees animal acquisitions.
“I want to make sure we put all the infrastructure in place so that the concerns that have been raised are never raised again,” Scanlon told AFP.
This month, the CITES Secretariat said India had suspended imports of the most endangered species pending new due-diligence procedures. However, questions remained over animals including elephants, chimpanzees and the Tapanuli orangutan.
CITES officials, who are due to meet on November 2, urged India to continue investigations and take action against instances of illegal wildlife trade.
Scanlon said India’s Supreme Court had settled the legal questions surrounding imports.
“It’s the end of the road there,” he said.
In October, Vantara returned to Indonesia an orangutan it said it had rescued from traffickers in 2024. It also offered to open 10 mobile veterinary centres across India.
“I think the energy is best spent going forward,” Scanlon said, pointing to the centre’s considerable resources for conservation.
Vantara collects genetic data to help prevent inbreeding among Asiatic lions, is building a university and has pledged to fund conservation projects overseas.
Conservation groups, however, say they will monitor whether the centre delivers on its commitments.
“Vantara has imported tens of thousands of animals in a very short time, including some of the rarest species,” said Daniela Freyer of Pro Wildlife, who helped draft the conservation groups’ letter calling for a permanent end to imports.
“Where rules were broken, there must be consequences.”
Karani has invited Freyer and other critics to visit the centre.
“We’re not enemies,” he said. “We’re trying to be one of you. We all have the same mission.”