Guwahati: More than two dozen international wildlife conservation and animal welfare organisations have urged Vantara, the private zoo funded by Reliance Industries in Jamnagar, Gujarat, to permanently end wild animal imports and strengthen safeguards around the acquisition of animals.
In an open letter dated September 22, the organisations also called for greater transparency, independent oversight and stricter due diligence in all matters related to animal acquisitions.
The letter was released by Germany-based Pro Wildlife on behalf of 27 international animal welfare and conservation organisations, including the Jane Goodall Institute Global, Animal Welfare Institute and organisations based in Africa. It was addressed to Amit Aggarwal, president of regulatory affairs at Vantara.
The letter acknowledged Vantara’s recent voluntary commitments to pause wildlife imports for up to a year and strengthen governance and due diligence following scrutiny by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The organisations, however, called for the temporary moratorium to be made permanent, with exceptions limited to independently verified conservation or animal welfare emergencies.
Vantara had announced in August that it would pause pending and new live animal import applications, shift its focus from ex-situ to in-situ conservation, strengthen governance and due diligence, and address concerns over its standards.
Concerns over import practices
The organisations said Vantara had recorded an “unprecedented” level of animal imports over four years, involving 60,000 live animals across 2,000 species. The letter cited rare and highly endangered species including Tapanuli orangutans, Spix’s macaws, Galápagos iguanas and shoebills among the imports.
They said the temporary nature of Vantara’s import pause, along with exemptions outlined by the facility, could allow imports to resume in circumstances involving animals sourced from commercial facilities, animals presented as captive-bred but potentially originating from the wild, or animals whose origins could not be verified.
The organisations also warned that a time-bound moratorium could encourage wildlife traders and traffickers to stockpile animals ahead of its expiry.
They called for any future exceptions to be restricted to cases independently verified as genuine conservation or welfare emergencies.
Calls for transparency and independent oversight
The organisations also urged Vantara to eliminate commercial incentives linked to animal acquisitions by halting direct or indirect payments, including donations that could be perceived as connected to acquiring animals.
They called for strict criteria governing legitimate rescues, a non-breeding policy and an end to commercial trade, exchange or acquisitions for public display.
Among their demands was the publication of a complete and regularly updated inventory of animals held at Vantara, including information on their origins, transfers, births and deaths. The inventory, they said, should be reviewed by independent experts.
The organisations also sought measures to prevent conflicts of interest on Vantara’s advisory boards and called for protections for civil society organisations, journalists and whistleblowers.
They further urged Vantara to support in-situ conservation and repatriation efforts by independently run organisations in animals’ countries of origin, while supporting high standards at local rescue centres and assessing options for returning animals to their native range states.
The letter comes ahead of the 81st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, scheduled for November 2-6 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The committee is due to consider the Government of India’s response to findings from an official CITES Secretariat verification mission to India conducted in September 2025.
The Pro Wildlife statement said the mission had raised concerns over the large volume of imports of strictly protected species to Vantara and potential violations of international wildlife trade regulations.