Vantara to Offer Chain-Free Haven for 20 Elephants Rescued from Exploitative Logging Industry
Former Owners and Mahouts to Embrace New Livelihoods through Employment Opportunities at Vantara
Jamnagar, Gujarat: Vantara, a renowned rescue center for captive elephants and other wild animals, founded by the visionary philanthropist Anant Ambani, is preparing to welcome 20 rescued elephants—10 males, 8 females, 1 sub-adult, and 1 calf—freed from the exploitative logging industry in Arunachal Pradesh. This rescue operation, carried out with the approval of the High-Powered Committee constituted by the Tripura High Court and entrusted by the Supreme Court of India, has been conducted with the full consent of the current owners of the animals. The elephants will soon find their permanent home at Vantara, an environment that naturally mirrors their native habitat, where they will live chain-free and will never be forced into labor.
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Read Also : CONCOR partnership with RHS Dubai will Boost Global Logistics ConnectivityThe rescued elephants include individuals like Laxmi, a 10-year-old captive-born sub-adult who struggles to bear weight on her hind legs due to deep, untreated wounds and suffers from a fresh, painful 1-inch diameter hole piercing her sensitive right ear pinna—both inflicted during the brutal taming process to establish human dominance. Maya, a 2-year-old captive-born calf, was rescued alongside her mother, Rongmoti, who endured large harness-induced lesions on her chest and buttocks from prolonged logging work. Ramu, a bull elephant, was found heavily restrained with both his forelegs and hindlegs tightly tethered together to control his 4–6 month musth period, resulting in immense physical and psychological distress. Babulal, another bull elephant, suffered from a severely broken and bleeding tail, caused by a conflict with a wild bull elephant during foraging. Years of captivity had stripped him of the natural instincts needed to defend himself.
Read Also : Mukesh Singh Verma gives his resignation as CCO and Principal Officer of Utkarsh Small Finance BankIn addition to providing lifelong care for the elephants, the project offers new livelihood opportunities for the owners, mahouts, and their families at Vantara. The mahouts and others involved will undergo intensive training in humane and scientifically backed methods of elephant management, ensuring a future of compassionate care for the elephants and empowering their caregivers with the knowledge and skills to support this approach.
The organization has secured all required documentation under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972,including obtaining a No Objection Certificate from the Gujarat Forest Department and a
Transport Permit from the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department. The elephants will be transported in specially designed elephant ambulances, with the calf Maya traveling alongside her
mother.