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The Reliance Foundation’s controversial wildlife conservation initiative, Vantara, has entered a partnership with the Telangana government to set up a wildlife conservatory and a night safari in the state.
The partnership was announced at the Telangana Global Rising Summit held at Bharat Future City near Hyderabad on Monday, December 8.
“Designed as a flagship conservation and experiential tourism project, the initiative aims to elevate India’s wildlife rehabilitation ecosystem while offering globally benchmarked visitor experiences,” a statement from the Telangana government said.
The proposed conservatory will “integrate scientific wildlife care, research, habitat restoration and public education through immersive exhibits and guided night-safari experiences,” it added.
CM Revanth Reddy spoke about the Vantara project and said that Telangana “intends to create tourism assets that prioritise conservation over commercialisation.”
He said that Vantara’s initiative aligns with the state’s broader vision of developing “ecologically sensitive, internationally attractive tourism infrastructure that creates local jobs while safeguarding biodiversity.”
The Vantara Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar is said to be one of the world’s largest privately run animal care centres, housing rescued elephants, modern veterinary facilities, and conservation initiatives. It has been accused of irregularities in sourcing animals from across the world, with wildlife activists raising concerns about the volume and origin of animal transfers to India in recent years, many of them going to Vantara
The Supreme Court in September gave a clean chit to Vantara, accepting a report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which probed the allegations and concluded that there was no foul play in the acquisition of the wild animals.
However, a report subsequently published by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) said there were gaps in India’s due diligence, which possibly allowed for violations of CITES provisions.
