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india's richest family have unveiled their lavish plan to build the world's biggest zoo in a 113ha plot in Gujarat.
The Ambanis, who own the US$168 billion ($221.7 billion) company Reliance, are planning to house around 100 different species in the zoo and build an animal rescue sanctuary in Jamnagar, a city in their home state.
The project, which is coming up close to the company's refinery project at Moti Khavdi, is the brainchild of Mr Anant Ambani (right), 25. He is the son of Mr Mukesh Ambani, the 12th richest man in the world and chairman of Reliance Industries, reported The Week.
It is scheduled to open in 2023, according to Reliance's corporate affairs director Parimal Nathwani. "We have the world's tallest statue (the Statue of Unity) and soon we will be having one of the world's biggest zoos," said Mr M.K. Das, additional chief secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, last month.
The zoo, which will be called Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom, will have animals, birds and reptiles from around the world - including African lions, Komodo dragons, pygmy hippos and Bengal tigers.
The exotic animals will be housed in sections called Forest of India, Marshes of West Coast and Exotic Island, among others.
However, the Ambanis, who attract the likes of former United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton and actress Priyanka Chopra to their family weddings, have sparked anger among animal rights activists after two rare black panthers were transferred from the state-run zoo in Guwahati, Assam, to their private establishment in an unpublicised move.
In exchange, Reliance Industries gave the zoo two pairs of zebra from Israel.
The local Congress party also condemned the move.
"It seems that even wild animals kept in captivity in zoos cannot escape from the tentacles of big corporate houses as the recent hush-hush transfer of two black panthers from the State Zoo in Guwahati to a zoo in Gujarat being set up by the Reliance group of the Ambanis has proved," said leader of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Bobbeeta Sharma, reported Northeast Now News.
Around 100 activists from the Chiriakhana Suraksha Mancha protested against the transfer last Sunday.
"We decided to stage the protest to highlight the irregularities taking place inside the zoo and also the transfer of the two black panthers in gross violation of rules," Mr Rajkumar Baishya, general-secretary of group, told The Telegraph India.
The world's largest zoo is just one of a number of extravagant projects initiated by the Ambanis.
They own the Mumbai Indians cricket franchise which features some of the game's biggest stars and have previously been linked with buying England's Liverpool and West Ham football clubs.
Indo-Asian News Service
