TV
Between January and March 2025, Maharashtra witnessed the death of 23 tigers, including four confirmed cases of poaching. The scale and frequency of these incidents have triggered alarm among conservationists and government officials alike.
Meanwhile, media reports have noted that the state’s Forest Minister, Ganesh Naik, has since been stationed in Nagpur, chairing emergency meetings with forest officials in an attempt to plug the gaps in wildlife protection protocols.
With a current tiger population of 446, Maharashtra houses one of the largest tiger populations in the country, with the Chandrapur district alone registering the highest density. However, the spike in deaths has cast a long shadow on the efficacy of the conservation frameworks in place.
Vantara: A Private Vision with Public Implications
Meanwhile, over 900 kilometers away in Gujarat, a privately established animal rescue and rehabilitation centre called Vantara has drawn praise.
Spearheaded by Anant Ambani, son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Vantara is spread across 3,000 acres within the Reliance Jamnagar Refinery Complex.
The facility is currently home to more than 2,000 animals spanning 43 species, many of them rescued from circuses, illegal captivity, or other distressed environments.
Vantara is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including veterinary ICUs, diagnostic units like MRI and CT scans, and open enclosures designed to simulate natural habitats.
It also houses India’s largest elephant hospital and rehabilitation unit. Launched with a vision of compassionate conservation, the facility presents a successful template for integrated wildlife care and rehabilitation.
ALSO READ: Vantara, a vibrant example of our centuries old ethos of protecting animals: PM Modi
Maharashtra Eyes Its Own Vantara: The 'Surya Tara' Plan
In light of Vantara’s success, the Maharashtra government has reportedly reached out to Anant Ambani for support in developing a similar sanctuary, tentatively named 'Surya Tara', in the Thane region.
According to Minister Naik, land has already been identified for the project. The proposed sanctuary will mirror the Vantara model, an integrated hub for wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, research and conservation.
Unlike traditional forest reserves, 'Surya Tara' aims to provide specialised care for injured, sick or conflict-prone wildlife, with a focus on large carnivores like tigers and leopards. This is particularly vital given the increasing human- animal conflict in forest-adjacent districts like Bhandara and Chandrapur, where villages lie dangerously close to tiger corridors.
A Blueprint for Broader Conservation Reform
Maharashtra’s forest department is concurrently working on a suite of other measures. These include:
- Plantation of fruit-bearing trees to ensure prey availability and restrict tiger movement outside core forest zones.
- Establishment of solar panel farms on degraded forest lands to generate revenue.
- Setting up new furniture manufacturing units using forest wood, aiming to make the forestry sector economically viable.
Furthermore, efforts are underway to fence vulnerable villages with solar-powered barriers and relocate some tiger populations from over-saturated zones in Vidarbha to western and northern parts of the state.
Despite these measures, the road to robust wildlife conservation is fraught with administrative and logistical hurdles. Poaching networks have become more sophisticated, often involving operatives based in urban centres with alleged international links.
