A union of South African animal rights groups has actually gotten in touch with their federal government to examine the supposed exports of wild animals to a personal Indian zoo owned by the prominent Ambani household.
The Wildlife Animal Defense Online Forum of South Africa, a union of 30 groups, has actually composed to federal environment minister Dion George, prompting him to examine “genuine issues” over wildlife exports to India.
The Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehab Centre, widely called Vantara, is a 3,000-acre center in the western Gujarat state run by Anant Ambani, boy of Asia’s wealthiest guy Mukesh Ambani who declares it to be a personal “wildlife rescue and rehab center”.
The zoo dismissed the problem by the South African union as “totally incorrect and unwarranted” and stated they had actually served them a legal notification over the report.
The zoo was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi on World Wildlife Day, 3 March, and his images with the animals went viral on social networks.
The vast facility at the Dependence Jamnagar Refinery Complex declares to house 150,000 saved threatened and threatened animals from over 200 types.
The zoo has actually dealt with analysis from wildlife activists given that before it was revealed last summertime throughout Anant Ambani’s prolonged wedding.
In a 6 March letter to South African ministries and companies, the Wildlife Animal Defense Online forum stated that issues had actually been raised by the Convention on International Sell Endangered Types “concerning the big quantity of various live types of wild animals that are being imported” to Vantara.
Mentions is a global arrangement in between federal governments targeted at making sure that global sell wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. India has actually been a signatory to points out given that 1976.
The union stated the problem of India’s “prospective non-compliance” concerning issues about Vantara was raised in a November 2023 conference after points out gotten info about live animal imports to India, including of seriously threatened types.
” We believe that a considerable variety of captive-bred specimens in centers in South Africa might have been and are being traded for industrial functions,” it stated.
In a declaration to The Independent, the zoo stated the accusation of noncompliance was a total fabrication and based upon out-of-date info. The Wildlife Animal Defense Online forum was “intentionally leaving out the truth that the matter was totally evaluated” in a February 2025 conference of the points out standing committee and closed.
” The compliance issues at first raised at SC77 were completely dealt with,” the declaration stated, describing the 77th conference of the points out standing committee, “and there are no continuous examinations or pending compliance actions versus Vantara.”
Together with the letter, the South African union shared a file detailing their examination and issues about the center in India.
The zoo got 56 cheetahs, 52 caracals, 6 jaguars, 19 leopards, 90 lions, 20 African wild pet dogs and numerous other animals from South Africa, according to the 2023-24 yearly report by Vantara.
” The lions and tigers exported from South Africa appear to have actually been acquired and exported from reproducing centers in South Africa and for that reason possibly the present living conditions used at Vantara have actually enhanced,” the letter stated. “This does not validate the truth that they will now be changed into reproducing makers, made use of within the many animal reproducing centers situated outside the primary zoo.”
The union stated it would require to be persuaded, with independent, proven proof, that the extra list of wildlife types exported from South Africa were conserved or saved from negative conditions.
Vantara stated all animal transfers from South Africa were carried out completely compliance with the nation’s federal and provincial guidelines.
The animal rights union’s problem, “apparently driven by beneficial interests”, was “an effort to restore stagnant matters that have actually been completely examined and conclusively nearby CITES, the world’s greatest authority on wildlife transfer compliance”, the Indian center stated in its declaration.
The Independent has actually connected to the Wildlife Animal Defense Online Forum of South Africa for remark.