A group of 27 international wildlife conservation and animal welfare organizations has called on Vantara to stop all imports of wild animals permanently. Vantara is a zoo in India supported by Reliance Industries, the country’s largest company, and has faced criticism for how it acquires animals. In an open letter dated September 22, 2026, directed to Amit Aggarwal, who is the president of regulatory affairs at Vantara, the NGOs provided suggestions to enhance Vantara’s practices and improve outcomes for animals.
This letter was a response to Vantara’s press statement from August 19, 2026, in which the organization announced it would pause all animal imports for 12 months, with the pause set to start from June 5, 2026. Vantara mentioned that it has canceled all pending import requests and will not submit any new ones. Additionally, the statement included correspondence to India’s CITES Management Authority, which regulates international trade of endangered species under the CITES treaty.
After the one-year pause, Vantara plans to import animals only from recognized and accredited zoological institutions, CITES registered facilities, or for conservation breeding programs in collaboration with relevant states. Vantara also revealed it will establish an independent governing council led by John Scanlon AO, a former CITES Secretary General, to oversee any future animal imports along with a mandatory three-stage review process. Vantara has previously obtained Tapanuli orangutans, which are among the rarest apes globally. This information was originally published on Mongabay.
What are your thoughts on the call for Vantara to halt wild animal imports?
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Source: Mongabay Animals, by Mongabay Editor