Anant Ambani’s Vantara Launches ‘Champions of Care’ to Strengthen Community Animal Welfare

Jamnagar, 6 October 2026: On World Animal Day, Anant M. Ambani, Executive Director of Reliance Industries and founder of Vantara, announced ‘Champions of Care’, a national initiative designed to strengthen community animal welfare across India.

The programme brings together more than 50 animal-welfare organisations working with community dogs, cats, cattle, donkeys, horses and other animals. Through this network, Vantara aims to support approximately 2 million animals every year with veterinary care, rescue services, shelter, food and other essential assistance.

The initiative is expected to support practical needs identified by local organisations. These may include veterinary hospitals, diagnostic and treatment facilities, animal ambulances, mobile veterinary units, rescue equipment, shelter infrastructure, quarantine areas and staff training. Support will also cover animal birth-control programmes, emergency response, feeding and long-term care.

‘Champions of Care’ builds on Vantara’s wider animal-welfare mission. Located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, Vantara is a rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre established by Anant Ambani in association with Reliance Foundation. Its work has traditionally focused on rescuing, treating and rehabilitating wildlife and other distressed animals. Vantara describes its mission as providing animals with dignity, medical care, rehabilitation and the opportunity to recover in a safe environment.

With the new initiative, this approach is being extended through partnerships with organisations working directly in communities. Rather than relying only on a central rescue facility, the programme seeks to strengthen local shelters, veterinary teams and grassroots animal-welfare groups that understand regional needs.

Reliance Foundation has also supported animal-health interventions during disasters, including livestock health camps, emergency veterinary services and supplementary feed assistance.

By combining national coordination with local expertise, ‘Champions of Care’ could help improve sterilisation, vaccination, rescue, treatment and shelter services for India’s community animals. Its long-term impact will depend on transparent partnerships, sustained funding and effective monitoring of outcomes.