Assam Anant Ambani
Anant Ambani has announced the launch of his ambitious wildlife preservation project, titled 'Vantara'. (File image)

Guwahati: The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa (WAPFSA), a coalition of 30 national organizations, has urged the country’s Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Ministry to investigate the export of a large number of wild animals to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZZRC), also known as Vantara.

Vantara, a private zoo in Jamnagar, Gujarat, is owned by Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

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In a letter dated March 6, 2025, to South Africa’s Environment minister Dion George, WAPFSA raised serious concerns regarding the legality and ethical implications of these animal transfers, specifically highlighting the export of leopards, cheetahs, tigers, and lions.

The letter, sent to Minister George and copied to key officials including the Director General of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the South African CITES Management Authority, pointed to potential non-compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“We are aware that legitimate concerns have been raised within CITES regarding the large amount of different live species of wild animals that are being imported to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in India,” stated Megan Carr, WAPFSA , in the letter.

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