Try GOLD - Free
Inquiry Ordered into Giant Zoo in Gujarat Founded by Son of Asia's Richest Person
The Guardian
|August 27, 2025
India's supreme court has ordered an investigation into a vast private zoo founded by the son of Asia's richest person over allegations of illegal wildlife imports and financial misconduct.
Home to a reported 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles, Vantara, in western Gujarat, describes itself as the "world's biggest wild animal rescue centre". It is run by Anant Ambani, a son of Mukesh Ambani, the chair of Reliance Industries.
Vantara was among venues used for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's lavish wedding celebrations last year, where celebrities were asked to wear "jungle fever" outfits.
Despite a visit from India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, who praised it as "truly commendable", the 1,200-hectare (3,000-acre) site is closed to the public and has been criticised by wildlife campaigners over how the more than 150,000 animals kept there are treated.
This story is from the August 27, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Rock me Amadeus, all over again: can TV series inspire a new generation to love Mozart?
Forty years ago, Amadeus won eight Oscars, four Baftas and four Golden Globes - and introduced a new generation to 18th-century music.
3 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Doctors' strike during flu crisis 'beyond belief' - PM
Keir Starmer has said it is \"frankly beyond belief\" that resident doctors would strike during the NHS's worst moment since the pandemic, in remarks that risk inflaming tensions with medics.
4 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
'We've made progress' But 10 years on from the Paris agreement, is it enough?
Ten years on from the Paris climate summit, which ended with the world's first and only global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions, it is easy to dwell on its failures. But the successes go less remarked.
6 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Paint it orange! The charity turning anger into hope - and quick action
Dashing through the snow with Father Chris... It doesn't get any more seasonal, even if it feels as if there might be a final syllable missing.
4 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
President takes star role in battle for Warner Bros businesses
Over the first 10 months of his second presidency, Donald Trump has not hidden his desire to control the US media industry - from encouraging TV networks to fire journalists, comedians and critics he dislikes to pushing regulators to revoke broadcast licences. Now he seems determined to set the terms for one of the biggest media deals in history.
6 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Swift's pain over Southport knife attack is palpable
Swifties had long guessed that there would be a documentary going on behind the scenes of the blockbuster Eras tour.
1 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Recognition for writer and pioneer
'The thing all women hate is to be thought dull,\" says the title character of Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes, an early feminist classic about a middle-aged woman who moves to the countryside, sells her soul to the devil and becomes a witch.
2 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Machado feared US strike on escape boat as she fled
The most dangerous moments came when salvation seemed finally assured. Many miles from land, the small fishing skiff carrying the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado had been lost at sea, tossed by strong winds and 10ft waves. A further hazard was the ever-present risk of an inadvertent airstrike by US warplanes hunting alleged cocaine smugglers.
2 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Police warn drivers of risks when handing over keys
Terence Baxter* had booked a meet-and-greet service to park his Volkswagen at Heathrow airport while he and his wife went on holiday.
2 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Card Factory delivers surprise pre-Christmas profit warning
Card Factory has delivered an unwelcome early Christmas surprise for investors by issuing a shock profit warning during its peak trading period, which sent shares plunging by more than a fifth.
1 min
December 13, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size