Mukesh Ambani’s next uber-rich project involves Komodo dragons, in world’s largest zoo

There are rich, richer, richest and then comes the ultra-rich – one of Asia’s richest family – the Ambanis. Mukesh Ambani’s exploits in the telecom industry, oil market among others are a thing of legend. Now, taking ‘being wealthy’ to another level, the Amabanis are reportedly building one of the world’s largest zoos in Gujarat. The latest project is expected to have Komodo dragons, cheetahs, birds among other things.

Scheduled for 2023, the venture will have a rescue center to support the local government. This development was confirmed by Parimal Nathwani, corporate affairs director at Reliance.

Director of research at Campden Wealth, Rebecca Gooch, said that billionaires can turn fantasies into realities with their unconventional ventures and investments.

“They have the economic horsepower to turn fantasy into reality,” Bloomberg quoted Gooch as saying.

“Investing in public spaces can help both a family’s and its company’s image, in turn aiding profitability and mitigating potentially negative exposure. It can also affirm a wealth holder’s standing in society and publicly cement a family’s legacy well into the future,” she further added.

With an empire extending to tech and e-commerce, the Ambanis are worth about $80 billion. They also own an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise – Mumbai Indians – and also started a football league in 2014. As for Nita Ambani, she joined the board of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019.

While we wait for 2023, let’s take a look at some unorthodox investments the uber-wealthy have done.

Indonesian tycoon Low Tuck Kwong invested $4 million in building a zoo.

Georgia’s richest, Bidzina Ivanishvili, reportedly spurlged $3 million in a dendrological park.

Not only adventure parks, the rich also foray into sports, owning teams. While Ambani own a cricket team, Roman Abramovich, the biggest owner of Russia’s second-largest steelmaker, bought London’s Chelsea soccer club in 2003 for about $223 million at the time.

France’s third-richest person, Francois Pinault, is soon expected to open a museum to keep his contemporary collection at the Bourse de Commerce, an 18th-century grain exchange.

According to Bloomberg, Russian billionaire Leonid Mikhelson is building a $130 million center of contemporary art in Moscow.