Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and visited Vantara, a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation center located in Gujarat. Vantara is home to more than 2,000 species and over 150,000 rescued, endangered, and threatened animals. During his visit, the Prime Minister explored various facilities at the center and interacted closely with many rehabilitated animals.

He toured the wildlife hospital at Vantara, which is equipped with advanced veterinary facilities, including MRI and CT scans, ICUs, and multiple departments such as Wildlife Anesthesia, Cardiology, Nephrology, Endoscopy, Dentistry, and Internal Medicine. While there, the Prime Minister played with and fed several species, including Asiatic lion cubs, a white lion cub born at the center after its mother was rescued, and a rare clouded leopard cub. He also interacted with caracal cubs, which are becoming increasingly rare in India. At Vantara, a breeding program is in place to help preserve caracals, and some are later released into the wild.

The Prime Minister visited the MRI room and witnessed an Asiatic lion undergoing an MRI. He also went to the operating theater, where a leopard was undergoing life-saving surgery after being hit by a car. The rescued animals at the center are housed in environments that closely resemble their natural habitats.

Key conservation initiatives at the center include efforts focused on the Asiatic lion, snow leopard, and one-horned rhinoceros, among others. During his visit, the Prime Minister had several close encounters with various animals. He sat face-to-face with a golden tiger, four snow tiger brothers rescued from a circus, a white lion, and a snow leopard. He patted an okapi, came face-to-face with chimpanzees who had been kept as pets, hugged and played with orangutans previously confined in overcrowded facilities, and observed a hippopotamus underwater. 

The Prime Minister also saw crocodiles, walked among zebras, and fed a giraffe as well as a rhino calf, which was orphaned after its mother died at the facility. He encountered a large python, a unique two-headed snake, a two-headed turtle, a tapir, leopard cubs found in an agricultural field, giant otters, bongo antelopes, and seals. Additionally, he viewed elephants enjoying hydrotherapy in their jacuzzi, which supports recovery from arthritis and foot problems, improving their mobility. 

He also toured the workings of the world's largest elephant hospital and released rescued parrots at the center. Throughout his visit, the Prime Minister interacted with the doctors, support staff, and workers managing the various facilities at Vantara.