Vantara hosts flagship veterinary training course on conservation medicine

Vantara, the wildlife rescue and conservation initiative founded by Anant Ambani, inaugurated its flagship Veterinary Training Course on Introduction to Conservation Medicine at its state-of-the-art facilities in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

The three-day programme—which will be held from August 18 to 20—brings together 54 veterinarians from zoos and wildlife care facilities across India. Over the next two days, participants will take part in expert-led sessions and hands-on training aimed at strengthening national capacity in wildlife health management, emergency response, disease surveillance, diagnostics, and preventive healthcare.

Sessions will highlight modern approaches to veterinary care, including emergency field response, anaesthesia, diagnostic methods, and treatment of diverse species. The training will also focus on disease surveillance and zoonotic risks, while emphasising preventive healthcare practices, including nutrition, podiatry, dentistry, and reproductive health for animals under human care.

The training is being held under Healing the Wild, Vantara’s flagship initiative to advance veterinary care, promote scientific wildlife management, and support government-led conservation efforts nationwide. “By equipping veterinarians with practical expertise and exposure to global best practices, we aim to enhance the long-term care of animals and contribute meaningfully to safeguarding India’s rich biodiversity,” said Dr. Brij Kishor Gupta, director of the Greens Zoological, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, in a statement.

The course is being conducted by Vantara’s leading specialists in collaboration with distinguished national and international experts. Participants will learn through classroom discussions, clinical demonstrations, and immersive field experiences at Vantara’s advanced facilities, including the Wildlife Multispecialty Hospital, Cheetah Conservation Centre, Elephant Care Centre, and Rescue Centre for Herbivores.

Vantara is home to over 1,50,000 animals from more than 2,000 species and supported by a team of more than 3,500 dedicated professionals. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2025. Some of the animals that the facility is home to, as mentioned by the PM, include an elephant, which was the victim of an acid attack. “The elephant was being treated with utmost care. There were other elephants too, which were blinded, ironically, by their mahout. Another elephant was hit by a speeding truck,” PM Modi wrote on X. Other animals include a lioness that was hit by a vehicle with severe spinal injuries, and a leopard cub abandoned by her family got a new lease of life.