PM Narendra Modi at Gir National Park. - Photo: ANI
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (March 4) visited Vantara, a sprawling wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centre, which houses over 1.5 lakh rescued, endangered, and threatened animals from more than 2,000 species.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated Vantara, located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and explored various facilities at the centre.
He toured the world’s largest elephant hospital at Vantara, released rescued parrots, and interacted with doctors and staff managing the centre’s extensive facilities dedicated to wildlife conservation.
He also visited the wildlife hospital at Vantara and saw the veterinary facilities, which are equipped with MRI, CT scans, ICUs, among others, and also house multiple departments, including Wildlife Anesthesia, Cardiology, Nephrology, Endoscopy, Dentistry, and Internal Medicine.
PM Modi also played with giraffes and fed lions of various species.
In a video shared on the official YouTube handle of PM Modi, he could be seen playing with and feeding various species, including Asiatic Lion cubs, White Lion cubs, Clouded Leopard cubs, which is a rare and endangered species, and Caracal cubs, among others.
These Lion cubs were born at the facility after their mother’s rescue and bred in captivity under a programme to preserve and later release them into the wild.
He also engaged with notable species, including a Golden Tiger, four Snow Tigers rescued from a circus, and an orphaned one-horned Rhino calf, all housed in habitats mirroring their natural environments in Vantara.
The Prime Minister also viewed a large Python, a two-headed snake, a two-headed turtle, and Leopard cubs rescued from an agricultural field, alongside elephants benefiting from hydrotherapy pools for arthritis and mobility issues.
At the hospital, the PM observed an Asiatic Lion undergoing an MRI and a Leopard receiving life-saving surgery after a highway accident, highlighting Vantara’s critical role in emergency wildlife rescue and treatment. - The Statesman/ANN
