Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his three-day visit to Gujarat, visited Vantara – a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre in Jamnagar.
Vantara has made its name for housing over 1.5 lakh rescued and endangered animals. Currently, it is home to more than 2,000 species.
PM Modi, during his visit to one of the biggest animal rehabilitation centre, explored various facilities and closely interacted with varied species of animals.
Prime Minister visited the wildlife hospital at Vantara, where he was briefed about a wide variety of veterinary services including MRI, CT scans, ICUs. The hospital is also equipped with multiple departments including Wildlife Anesthesia, Cardiology, Nephrology, Endoscopy, Dentistry and Internal Medicine.
In the video, PM Modi could be seen playing with and feeding various species of animals including Asiatic Lion cubs, White Lion cub, Clouded Leopard cub which is a rare and endangered species, Caracal cub among others.
The White Lion cub which was fed by PM Modi was born at the Centre after his mother was rescued and brought to Vantara for care.
The Caracals which were once in abundance in India are now becoming a rare sight. The Caracals are undergoing a breeding program at the Vantara for their preservation and are then subsequently released in the wild.
PM Modi also visited the MRI room at the hospital and witnessed an Asiatic Lion undergoing an MRI. He also visited the Operation Theatre, where a Leopard was going through a life-saving surgery after being hit by a car on the highway and brought here after rescue.
The rescued animals at the centre are kept in places which closely mirror their natural habitat.
Prime Minister also had close interactions with various ferocious animals. He sat face to face with Golden Tiger, 4 Snow Tigers who were rescued from a circus, White Lion and Snow Leopard.
He also came face to face with Chimpanzees in the open, played with Orangutan who were earlier kept in an over-crowded facility. He also closely interacted with Hippopotamus and crocodiles while undertaking a walk in between Zebras, feeding a Giraffe and a Rhino calf.
Prime Minister was also given a brief tour of the hydrotherapy pools, meant for recovery of elephants suffering from arthritis and foot problems.
He also saw the workings of the elephant hospital, which is the largest in the world. He interacted with doctors, supporting staff and workers who serve as the custodians of the various facilities at the Centre.
(IANS)
