Maharashtra: Nandani Near Kolhapur Chosen for Country’s First Elephant Rehabilitation Satellite Centre
Kolhapur, 8th August 2025: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and former MP Raju Shetty has expressed gratitude to Anant Ambani and the Ambani family after Vantara, the animal welfare initiative backed by Reliance Industries, proposed setting up the country’s first state-of-the-art satellite rehabilitation centre for elephants in Maharashtra.
The centre is proposed to be established in the Nandani area near Kolhapur, with the aim of providing advanced medical care to Mahadevi (also known as Madhuri), an elephant with strong emotional ties to the people of Kolhapur. Equipped with modern and scientific facilities, the centre will focus on her rehabilitation and overall welfare.
According to Vantara, the decision respects three key aspects — public sentiment, the leadership of the monastery, and animal welfare. The move comes after a prolonged controversy over the care of Mahadevi, during which animal rights organisation PETA had accused her caretakers of mistreatment.
“We belong to the Jain community and live by the principle of Jio aur Jine Do. PETA accused us of neglecting and torturing Madhuri the elephant, which was unbearable for us. We love living beings, insects, and animals, and the allegations hurt deeply. However, now the ending is good, and Anant Ambani has a special role in this,” Shetty said, adding that the decision has brought the controversy to an end.
