Guwahati: Zoo-cum-rescue centre Vantara’s proposal to set up three wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres in Assam, including one dedicated exclusively to the welfare of Asian elephants, has sparked strong reactions from wildlife activists and conservationists in the state, who have raised concerns over animal transfers, transparency, veterinary capacity, and the growing role of private entities in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation work.
The Reliance-backed facility, based in Jamnagar, Gujarat, made the offer in a letter to the Assam Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department dated August 12. The state’s Environment and Forest Minister has said the proposal is currently being “examined.”
Vantara is operated by Anant Ambani, the youngest son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
Among the most vocal critics is environment journalist and wildlife activist Mubina Akhtar, who expressed serious reservations over the proposal, particularly in view of concerns surrounding the treatment and movement of rescued wildlife.
“Amendments to our wildlife laws bring rescue centres and zoos under the same broad statutory classification, subjecting them to the same housing, hygiene and veterinary norms. Under Section 2(39) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the legal definition of a ‘zoo’ explicitly includes off-exhibit facilities such as rescue centres and conservation breeding centres,” Akhtar told Northeast Now.
She, however, pointed out that a rescue centre is fundamentally different from a conventional zoo.
“While a traditional zoo is open for exhibition of animals to the general public, a rescue centre is an establishment for the care and rehabilitation of animals and is strictly not open for exhibition to the public,” she said.
Akhtar alleged that there have been instances where established norms governing access to rescued wildlife have been deviated from.
“We have seen arbitrary deviations from established norms that facilitate privileged elites—including royalty, government ministers and officials—having access while regular citizens are completely shut out,” she said.
Pointing out that wild animals in India, whether captive or free-ranging, are treated as government property, Akhtar questioned the manner in which rescued animals have allegedly been displayed or paraded at private events.
“Private owners or operators do not own rescued animals, yet the world has seen how those ‘rescued’ animals were displayed or paraded during private ceremonies by Vantara. They seemed to have crossed all limits even as ‘authorised custodians.’ Based on their track record, I would be wary of their offer for more such facilities in Assam,” she said.
Concerns over wildlife veterinary care
Mubina Akhtar also said Assam urgently needs to strengthen its wildlife veterinary infrastructure rather than relying on private facilities.
“In a state like Assam with high wildlife populations, there is no separate cadre for wildlife veterinarians under the Forest Department. This often leads to delayed emergency responses. With a very limited number of trained professionals, the existing system remains inadequate to cater to almost all wildlife emergencies throughout the state,” she said.
According to her, Assam faces a range of conservation challenges, from frequent and fatal human-animal conflict to emerging wildlife diseases.
“A robust veterinary ecosystem for the treatment of and assistance in the rescue of wild animals is the need of the hour. At the moment, the whole system has gone for a toss, with some of the best in the field joining private facilities or zoos like the one in Jamnagar,” Akhtar said.
She cautioned against entrusting wildlife rescue and rehabilitation entirely to private entities, saying differences in operational protocols could create risks and may not always align with broader conservation objectives.
“I am rather for the creation of a separate cadre with specialised veterinarians within the Forest Department,” she said.
Elephant transfers raise questions
Akhtar also raised concerns over the transfer of elephants from the Northeast to other parts of the country.
“In the recent past, we have seen elephants—males, females and calves—being sent to other parts of the country from their natural habitats in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Interestingly, all the transported elephants were healthy, most of them sub-adults and not in dire need of care,” she said.
She alleged that there have been serious concerns over the manner in which some elephants were captured, classified and transferred.
“The manner in which these long-ranging megafauna have been removed from their natural occurrence to an unnatural terrain with very different climatic and geographical conditions, where they would be held captive for life, is simply unethical and extremely worrying,” Akhtar said.
Referring to one such case, she said documents stated that 10 elephants, “mostly sub-adults,” were domesticated and purchased from owners in Chowkham in Arunachal Pradesh’s Namsai district by the Radhe Krishna Temple Welfare Trust of Jamnagar.
“The same case also brought to light that there are 152 Asian elephants already in captivity at Jamnagar. We need to pay attention to why and how so many Asiatic elephants have been transferred to this arid part of the country from their natural habitats,” she said.
“Whatever the state-of-the-art facility, it is simply unethical to relocate these long-ranging megafauna—elephants and rhinos—from their natural occurrence to a very different climatic and geographical location. Any act of transfer must be justified from the conservation point of view. In light of the concerns and controversies raised over the transfer of elephants, we view the new proposal with reservation,” she added.
Demand for transparency
Akhtar also questioned the movement of wildlife from the Northeast to Vantara under animal exchange programmes.
“Exotic animals seized and rescued from various places in the region, as well as rare and endemic wildlife from our state, have continuously been sent to the zoo at Jamnagar under ‘animal exchange programmes.’ The Assam State Zoo has allegedly become a transit point for illegally traded wildlife,” she alleged.
She called for greater transparency from the Assam government and the state zoo regarding animal transfers.
“We demand that the state zoo publish a list of animals being transferred from here to Vantara. The public demands full transparency when it comes to Vantara’s proposal for rescue centres in Assam,” Akhtar said.
She also demanded that the state government issue a white paper before proceeding with the proposal, detailing the proposed centres’ target species, geographical locations, structural framework, operational modalities and, most importantly, the justification for involving Vantara.
‘Why another rescue centre?’
Echoing similar concerns, wildlife activist Devojit Moran also opposed the proposal, questioning the need for another private rescue and rehabilitation facility in Assam.
“A complaint has already been filed by a forum of environmental NGOs in South Africa against Vantara. Then why has the Assam government allowed them to open a rescue and rehabilitation centre in Assam? They are already under the purview of investigation, so why should they be given permission?” Moran told Northeast Now.
He also alleged that elephants had been moved from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to Vantara.
“We know how elephants have been taken from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam,” he alleged.
Moran said Assam already has an established wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility operated by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in Kaziranga.
“WTI is already working on the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals. Why do we need another centre for rescue and rehabilitation? The government should upgrade WTI with full facilities. We do not need a Vantara rescue and rehabilitation centre in Assam,” he said.
“Everybody knows what Vantara has been doing in the name of rescue and rehabilitation. Many times, Vantara has been under the radar of investigations. There have also been allegations of animals being taken from Assam to Gujarat. We are against such a move and urge the government to stop them from opening the rescue centre in Assam,” Moran said.
‘Welcome the centres, but not more wildlife transfers’
Not all reactions were uniformly critical. Noted Assam wildlife conservationist Jayanta Kr Das took a somewhat different position, saying that rescue and rehabilitation centres in Assam could be beneficial, but only if they do not facilitate further transfer of wildlife to Gujarat.
“During the last couple of years, Vantara, a so-called wildlife conservation NGO sponsored by the Ambani family, has been in the news for turning a desert in Gujarat into a wildlife habitat, reportedly with government support. Unfortunately, a few basic conservation rules appear to have been forgotten while transporting hundreds of rare species of wild animals, birds and reptiles to Vantara from various states of India,” Das said.
He said concerns had particularly emerged over the movement of elephants from the Northeast.
“In the case of Northeast India, wild elephants of Assam are transported to Arunachal Pradesh, where they are tagged as Arunachal Pradesh-owned animals. But the names of the elephants tell other stories, as they do not appear to reflect local Arunachal Pradesh names,” he said.
Das acknowledged Vantara’s contribution to wildlife conservation but questioned the manner in which it has been pursued.
“It is good that Vantara has been supporting wildlife conservation. But at what cost?” he asked.
He also noted that several prominent wildlife experts had joined Vantara, which he said had raised questions about the growing influence of the facility in the wildlife conservation sector.
On the proposed centres in Assam, Das said the initiative could be welcomed if it was designed to strengthen conservation within the Northeast.
“The proposed establishment of three wildlife rescue centres in Assam or the Northeast seems good and should be welcomed. But the activities of Vantara, supported by the Union and state governments, are not free from criticism,” he said.
“People have serious concerns that the proposed scheme could support more transfers of exotic wildlife species to Vantara under the guise of treatment or rehabilitation. We welcome the move, minus the transfer of more wildlife to Vantara in Gujarat,” Das added.
The concerns raised by the three conservationists come at a time when Assam remains one of India’s most important wildlife-rich states, with large populations of elephants, rhinos and other protected species.
The Asasm government’s decision on Vantara’s proposal is therefore likely to be closely watched by wildlife experts and conservation groups.