PM Modi Inaugurates Wildlife Centre At Vantara, Spends Time With White Lion Cubs

During his visit, the Prime Minister played with and fed several animals, including Asiatic lion cubs, a white lion cub, a rare and endangered Clouded Leopard cub, and a Caracal cub, among others

The rescued animals are housed in enclosures designed to closely replicate their natural habitats

Source : www.narendramodi.in

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and visited Vantara in Gujarat, a vast wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centre that is home to over 150,000 rescued, endangered, and threatened animals from more than 2,000 species. During his tour, the Prime Minister visited various facilities at the centre, interacting with a variety of rehabilitated species.

Watch: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and visited Vantara, a wildlife rescue and conservation center in Gujarat, home to over 1.5 lakh rescued animals. He explored its advanced veterinary facilities, interacted with rare species, witnessed surgeries, and participated in… pic.twitter.com/XV5j8mELaz

— IANS (@ians_india) March 4, 2025

He visited the wildlife hospital at Vantara, where he observed advanced veterinary facilities, including MRI and CT scan machines, ICUs, and specialized departments such as Wildlife Anesthesia, Cardiology, Nephrology, Endoscopy, Dentistry, and Internal Medicine.

During his visit, the Prime Minister played with and fed several animals, including Asiatic lion cubs, a white lion cub, a rare and endangered Clouded Leopard cub, and a Caracal cub, among others. The white lion cub he fed was born at the centre after its mother was rescued and brought to Vantara for care.

PM Modi also visited the MRI room, where he saw an Asiatic lion undergoing an MRI, and the operation theatre, where a leopard was undergoing life-saving surgery after being hit by a car. The leopard had been rescued from the highway. The rescued animals are housed in enclosures designed to closely replicate their natural habitats. 

Interaction With Golden Tiger

PM Modi had several close encounters with wild animals, including face-to-face interactions with a Golden Tiger, four Snow Tigers (rescued from a circus), a white lion, and a snow leopard. He also patted an Okapi, met chimpanzees that were previously kept as pets, played with an orangutan rescued from an overcrowded facility, and fed a giraffe and a rhino calf—an orphaned one-horned rhino whose mother had passed away at the centre.

He also saw a hippopotamus underwater, crocodiles, zebras, and observed a variety of species such as a large python, a unique two-headed snake, a two-headed turtle, a tapir, leopard cubs rescued from an agricultural field, giant otters, bongo (antelope), and seals. He also witnessed elephants enjoying their jacuzzi, part of a hydrotherapy program designed to alleviate arthritis and foot problems and enhance their mobility.

The Prime Minister also toured the Elephant Hospital, the largest of its kind in the world, and released rescued parrots back into the wild, according to Vantara’s statement.

In addition, he interacted with the doctors, staff, and workers who manage the various facilities at the centre.