India's Richest Family Building World's Largest Zoo

[jwer]

I know you’re ZooChat biggest advocat for ex-site conservation. But what you’re basically saying is that rich people usually don’t shy away from a bit of bribery to “legally” obtain heavily protected species?

Although you are probably right, I highly doubt that it should be applauded, nor stimulated.

 

[Jurek7]

I mean organization skills, ability to talk to people and personal connections. Not a bribery.

 

[Raikou]

Vantara species list (according to Instagram and other media):

Herbivore mammals

• rock hyrax (Procavia capensis)
• African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)
  
• Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)
  
• white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
  
• Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
• hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
  
• pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)
  
• okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
• giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
• African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
• common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)
  
• plains zebra (Equus quagga)
• blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
  
• common eland (Taurotragus oryx)
  
• scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah)
  
• gemsbok (Oryx gazella)
  
• sable antelope (Hippotragus niger)
  
• lowland nyala (Tragelaphus angasii)
  
• bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)
  
• dama gazelle (Nanger dama)
  
• addax (Addax nasomaculatus)
  
• nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)
  
• spotted deer (Axis axis)
  
• Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral)
  
• Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana)
  
• mouflon (Ovis gmelini)
  
• Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus)
  
• South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris)

Carnivore mammals

• Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
  
• Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica)
  
• cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
  
• jaguar (Panthera onca)
• African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus)
  
• snow leopard (Panthera uncia)
  
• cougar (Puma concolor)
  
• clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
  
• caracal (Caracal caracal)
  
• serval (Leptailurus serval)
  
• ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)
  
• margay (Leopardus wiedii)
  
• jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi)
• bobcat (Lynx rufus)
  
• Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)
  
• fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
  
• sand cat (Felis margarita)
  
• Northern Inuit dog (Canis familiaris)
  
• Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes)
  
• black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas)
  
• red dhole (Cuon alpinus)
• African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)
  
• fennec fox (Vulpes zerda)
  
• red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
  
• Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus)
  
• Cape fox (Vulpes chama)
  
• bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)
  
• Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus)
  
• sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)
  
• sun bear (Helarctos malayanus)
  
• Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
  
• African civet (Civettictis civetta)
  
• honey badger (Mellivora capensis)
  
• banded mongoose (Mungos mungo)
  
• meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
  
• giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)

Primates

• Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
• chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
  
• silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch)
• pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)
  
• lar gibbon (Hylobates lar)
  
• siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
  
• northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)
  
• mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)
  
• hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas)
• northern plains gray langur (Semnopithecus entellus)
  
• Celebes crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
  
• L'Hoest's monkey (Allochrocebus lhoesti)
  
• mantled guereza (Colobus guereza)
• common patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas)
  
• De Brazza's monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus)
  
• red-tailed guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius)
  
• blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis)
  
• green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)
  
• black crested mangabey (Lophocebus aterrimus)
  
• ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
  
• common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
  
• crowned lemur (Eulemur coronatus)
  
• red-ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra)
• black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata)
  
• tri-colored lemur (Varecia variegata x Varecia rubra)
• Venezuelan red howler (Alouatta seniculus)
  
• Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
  
• brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus)
  
• white-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia)
  
• tufted capuchin (Cebus apella)
• common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
• emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator)
  
• white-lipped tamarin (Saguinus labiatus)
  
• golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)

Other mammals

• capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
  
• lowland paca (Cuniculus paca)
  
• red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus)
  
• Bennett's wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus)
• southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)
  
• giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
• Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus)
  
• aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

Birds

• ostrich (Struthio camelus)
• greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
  
• grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum)
• Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

Reptiles

• mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)
  
• gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
  
• Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus)
  
• Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea)
• African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata)
  
• leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis)
  
• pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)
  
• Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys)
  
• red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)
• common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
  
• Indian softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica)
  
• Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis)
  
• green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
• green tree python (Morelia viridis)
  
• Angolan python (Python anchietae)
  
• ball python (Python regius)
  
• Burmese python (Python bivittatus)
  
• amethystine python (Morelia amethistina)
• Pope's tree viper (Trimeresurus popeiorum)
• red-tailed racer (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
• mangrove snake (Boiga dendrophila)
• red bamboo snake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)
• milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
  
• corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus)
  
• rhinoceros ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri)
• Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator)
  
• blue tree monitor (Varanus macraei)
• Fiji banded iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus)
• Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima)

According to the latest annual report, the zoo now has a Malayan tiger, a bonobo, 12 giant elands, and a Tapanuli orangutan.

 

[SwampDonkey]

According to the latest annual report, the zoo now has a Malayan tiger, a bonobo, 12 giant elands, and a Tapanuli orangutan.

"A" as in singular bonobo and orangutan?

 

[Raikou]

"A" as in singular bonobo and orangutan?

"A" as in singular bonobo and orangutan?

Yeah,and they are all female.

 

[Père Damian's Deer]

 

[Jambo]

Watched this video last night. Absolutely phenomenal facility and perhaps the best in the world for the care it provides to it's rescued animals - I was especially amazed to see the size of their facilities and the specific facilities they've designed to care for their arthritic elephants (such as hydro spas, acupuncture ect.)

 

[Veno]

This facility seems to have no qualms about doing whatever it takes to acquire the animals they desire, even if it means resorting to unethical methods. According to their own report, they managed to obtain Galapagos land iguanas from Japan. Truly, what a shining example of a conservation facility!

 

[Batto]

Absolutely phenomenal facility and perhaps the best in the world for the care it provides to its rescued animals

Agree to disagree.

 

[PossumRoach]

rescued animals

I really winder how an okapi would find itself in a situation where it needs to get rescued, let alone get shipped to India. Unless, of course, the “rescue” part is bunk and is only used for Ambani to greenwash his menagerie and justify its existence.

 

[Julio C Castro]

Just seen this video during my night shift, I’ve got mixed feelings. Yes it looks like a state of the art facility and they seem to care for their animals. But it irks me is the need to dance around calling it a zoo. It’s very much a private collection of some of the rarest and most endangered animals in India. Like it is what it is, and I’m willing to wager at least some of those animals aren’t “rescues” as they keep stating.

 

[flatstingray]

A full in depth article was published regarding the sourcing of some of the animals at Vantara. I recommend to fully read it to reach your own conclusions.

Complex questions arrise on the sourcing of local elephants in India and Mexican sourced fauna. This is partially due to grey areas within each jurisdiction as to what the law says in paper, what people are actually doing, and a couple of not surely 100% clean actors in the space.

This is an ever present challenge while dealing with wildlife in not so clear situations, and personally Im just glad some of the animals got into a facility with tons of resourse where to get a better life.

 

[jwer]

Complex questions arrise on the sourcing of local elephants in India and Mexican sourced fauna. This is partially due to grey areas within each jurisdiction as to what the law says in paper, what people are actually doing, and a couple of not surely 100% clean actors in the space.

This is an ever present challenge while dealing with wildlife in not so clear situations, and personally Im just glad some of the animals got into a facility with tons of resourse where to get a better life.

I read just about most of it, and it seems to point out quite a lot of instances where the “grey area” was probably just pitch black (as I feared).

I’m not happy about this at all. It shows what happens when overly rich people throw about money. They want something, and they never learnt the word (nor accept the word) no. So people will accomodate, by all means.

It does some good, but in the end it just ignites more wildlife trafficking, bribery and greenwashing. It should never be applauded unless the organisation is 100% transparant about the animals they source and this organisation never was.

 

[Skukuza]

Looks like this collection may also hold King Cheetah...

if you take a look at this video on youtube Vantara at Jamnagar: World's biggest wildlife rescue & rehabilitation hub - YouTube at 5:15 there is a cheetah chasing a lure with distinctive striping on its rump, black scruff and blotched patterns on its flank.

not an official zoo channel but the rest of the video seems consistent with what is known to be held at the collection.

seems like a lot of colour morphs on the site, from tigers to the leopard with vitiligo in the video above.

 

[PossumRoach]

seems like a lot of colour morphs on the site, from tigers to the leopard with vitiligo in the video above.

The article @flatstingray posted does point out that Vantara took animals from the now thankfully-gone Black Jaguar White Tiger foundation at Mexico. That place was filled with color morph cats to the brim.

 

[OkapiJohn]

I really winder how an okapi would find itself in a situation where it needs to get rescued, let alone get shipped to India. Unless, of course, the “rescue” part is bunk and is only used for Ambani to greenwash his menagerie and justify its existence.

They were bought from Al Bustan without coordination with the international studbook, the SSP, or the EEP. Unfortunately, Vantara, is not interested in being part of the international studbook. These two animals are "lost" from the breeding programme, quite upsetting. The good side is that, genetically, the animals from Al Bustan are not really valuable.

 

[MonkeyBat]

According to the latest annual report, the zoo now has a Malayan tiger, a bonobo, 12 giant elands, and a Tapanuli orangutan.

How in the world and where did they get a Tapanuli?

 

[Batto]

How in the world and where did they get a Tapanuli?

Vitamin C + plenty of dough = almost everything is available.

 

[Kim Minwoo]

According to the latest annual report, the zoo now has a Malayan tiger, a bonobo, 12 giant elands, and a Tapanuli orangutan.

May I ask you where have you found those annual reports?

 

[Raikou]

May I ask you where have you found those annual reports?

Central Zoo Authority,Annual report Zoos.