Guwahati: A photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a blue macaw during his visit to Vantara, a private zoo formerly known as Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (GZRRC) at Jamnagar, Gujarat has garnered international attention.
The image, part of a series released documenting the tour, features Prime Minister Modi cradling a blue macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), a parrot species endemic to Brazil and declared extinct in the wild in the early 2000s.
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As reported by the independent Brazilian news website Conexão Planeta, the presence of the blue macaw at the Indian facility is not an isolated incident. In fact, Vantara, managed by Anant Ambani, received 26 blue macaws and four Lear’s macaws (Anodorhynchus leari) in late 2023. These birds were sent from Germany by the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP), a private breeder of endangered and exotic species that had previously partnered with the Brazilian government on a reintroduction program for the blue macaw in Bahia.
According to Conexão Planeta, this transfer of birds to India occurred without the authorization of Brazilian environmental agencies, who were reportedly surprised by the shipment. While the macaws were bred at ACTP’s European headquarters, an agreement between the association, the Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (Ibama) stipulated Brazilian sovereignty over its endemic species and required their approval for international transfers. Upon learning of the birds’ arrival in India, the Brazilian government stated its intention to seek their repatriation.
However, Conexão Planeta suggests that the controversy surrounding the macaw transfer has primarily strained the relationship between ACTP and Brazil. Notably, 41 other macaws arrived at the Wildlife Refuge in Curaçá, Brazil, in January of this year for the ongoing reintroduction project. These birds were flown in from Germany on a jet bearing the Vantara logo.
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Despite the suspension of the partnership between ACTP and Brazil, the European breeder continues to conduct captive breeding and release efforts in Bahia, having independently financed and built the necessary facilities.
The timeline and instigator of the initial contact between ACTP and Vantara remain unclear. Nevertheless, the two institutions have reportedly developed a close relationship in recent months, publicly praising their collaboration.
Conexão Planeta further reveals that the National Network to Combat Wild Animal Trafficking (Renctas) discovered ACTP’s intention to send another group of blue macaws to India after the initial shipment in 2023. However, German authorities reportedly did not authorize the export licenses for this subsequent transfer.
In mid-2024, Conexão Planeta exclusively obtained information confirming the establishment of an ex-situ (outside natural habitat) reproduction center for the blue macaw at the Indian conservation facility. This was corroborated by the Department of Environment of Brandenburg (LfU), the German state where ACTP is based.
At the time, ACTP cited reaching maximum capacity at its German facilities as the reason for seeking a new location for its captive breeding programs, including the blue macaw. ICMBio and Ibama acknowledged their awareness of this development but expressed strong opposition to the decision. ACTP had also reportedly expressed a desire to transfer all its remaining birds in Germany to Vantara. The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation of Germany (BfN) confirmed to Conexão Planeta that an ACTP representative had mentioned the possibility of relocating the entire association to India.
ICMBio stated that it has never received a request from GZRRC/Vantara to participate in the blue macaw reproduction program and that no partnership exists between the Brazilian government and the Indian center. Regarding the potential transfer of the remaining macaws in Germany to a location even further from their native habitat than Bahia, Ibama and ICMBio, in their capacity as the Brazilian CITES Authority, stated that they had denied consent for the transfer of blue macaws from Germany to India, adding that the reasons for choosing India over Brazil should be addressed by ACTP.
Beyond the unauthorized transfer of blue macaws to India – and the Brazilian government’s admission of another 49 birds being sent to European breeders without their knowledge or consent – a significant question remains regarding potential payments from Vantara for the birds.
Martin Guth, the owner of ACTP, has faced international scrutiny for years, with allegations of possible involvement in bird trafficking and a lack of financial transparency. While ACTP denies any payment from Vantara for the macaws, documents from a CITES meeting in Geneva in late 2023, concerning a vehemently rejected Brazilian proposal for the commercialization of its macaws, reportedly mentioned “significant values” involved in the transaction between ACTP and the Indian zoo.
Furthermore, Conexão Planeta accessed a document indicating that a German CITES representative informed the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation that ACTP had declared the transfer of four blue macaws to Bianca’s Birdfarm in Belgium as a “loan.” However, information from Belgium allegedly points to an invoice from ACTP to Bianca’s Birdfarm charging €300,000 for the two pairs, without any mention of a loan.
Dener Giovanini, general coordinator of Renctas, described the entire process as “scandalous,” alleging “collusion with corruption and connivance of authorities with the international trafficking of threatened species of the Brazilian fauna.” He stated that Renctas has filed two complaints and is closely monitoring the situation, criticizing the Brazilian government’s past alliance with “animal traffickers disguised as conservationists.”