The animal rights group calls for an investigation into the Ambanis private zoo which inaugurated

A coalition of South African animal rights groups called for their government to investigate the alleged exports of wild animals to a private Indian zoo belonging to the influential family of Ambani.

The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa, a coalition of 30 groups, wrote to the Federal Minister of the Environment, Dion George, exhorting him to investigate legitimate concerns about fauna exports to India.

The Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, popularly known as Vantara, is an installation of 3,000 acres in the west State of Gujarat led by Annant Ambani, son of The richest man of Asias Mukesh Ambani who claims to be a private rescue and rehabilitation center.

The sprawling establishment at Dependence Jamnagar The refinery complex claims to host 150,000 endangered animals and threatened with more than 200 species.

The zoo was faced with a meticulous examination of fauna activists since it was revealed last summer during the extended wedding ceremony of Anant Ambanis.

In a letter of March 6 to South African ministries and agencies, the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum declared that concerns had been raised by the International Trade Convention of Endangered Species concerning the large quantity of different living species of wild animals that are imported to Vantara.

CITES is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants do not threaten their survival. India has been a signatory of CITES since 1976.

The Coalition said that the question of the potential non-compliance of the India concerning concerns about Vantara was raised at a meeting of November 2023 after the CITES received information on imports of living animals in India, including critical species.

We are of the opinion that a significant number of captive breeding specimens in facilities in South Africa could have been and are exchanged for commercial purposes, he said.

In a declaration at The independentThe zoo said that the allegation of non-compliance was a complete manufacturing and based on obsolete information. The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum deliberately omitted the fact that the case was completely revised during a meeting of February 2025 in the Cites du Cites and closed.

The compliance problems initially raised to the SC77 were fully discussed, according to the press release, referring to the 77th meeting of the CITES DU CITES, and there are no current surveys or current compliance measures.

In addition to the letter, the South African coalition shared a document detailing their investigation and its concerns about the installation in India.

The zoo has received 56 cheetahs, 52 caraces, six jaguars, 19 leopards, 90 lions, 20 African wild dogs and many other South African animals, according to the Annual Vantara 2023-24 report.

The exported lions and tigers of South Africa seem to have been purchased and exported to breeding installations in South Africa and therefore perhaps the current living conditions offered in Vantara have improved, according to the letter. This does not justify the reality that they will now be transformed into reproductive machines, exploited in the numerous breeding installations of animals located outside the main zoo.

The coalition said it should be convinced, with independent and verifiable evidence, that the additional list of exported wild species from South Africa has been saved or saved from unfavorable conditions.

Vantara said that all animal transfers in South Africa have been made in full compliance with the country's federal and provincial rules.

The complaint of animal rights coalitions, apparently motivated by acquired interests, was an attempt to relaunch outdated questions which were investigated in depth and closed in a conclusive manner by CITES, the highest authority in the world on compliance with the transfer of fauna, said Indian installation in its declaration.

The independent Contacted the animal Wildlife Protection Forum for South Africa to comment.